The $1.3 billion acquisition of Chilean electricity distributor Grupo Saesa by Morgan Stanley Infrastructure (MSI) and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) from New Jersey-based PSEG shows that financial investors can beat strategics when it comes to buying infrastructure-related companies.
Category: Awards
DEALS OF THE YEAR RESULTS
Closing a transaction was enough to call it a success in 2008 as markets disintegrated. The LatinFinance Deals of the Year celebrate triumph over adversity.
BEST DOMESTIC M&A
Last March, the third largest exchange in the world was formed in Brazil via the merger of Bolsa de Mercadorias & Futuros, the fourth largest commodities and futures exchange, and Bovespa, the fifth biggest public exchange globally.
BEST INVESTMENT BANK/M&A HOUSE
Extending three years of robust gains, Credit Suisse continues to monopolize the LatAm fee pool thanks to a senior team that appears to be burning the candle at both ends. In the full year 2008, it amassed $247 million in revenue from core investment banking – M&A, ECM and DCM – or 21% of the market, according to Dealogic. Second was UBS with $132 million, or 11%.
BEST PROJECT FINANCE DEAL
AES’s sizable pipeline of projects in LatAm gives it an enviable position when it comes to bargaining with lenders. Chilean unit AES Gener succeeded in closing in October 27 a $989 million project financing with a 17.5-year tenor.
BEST BOND HOUSE
This is far from the most dynamic market in the history of LatAm DCM, but one shop has fought its way to the top, building on five years’ hard work. For the first time ever, HSBC is our Bond House of the Year, and its global reach and heavy balance sheet leave it in a strong position for 2009.
BEST FINANCING INNOVATION
Afores have in recent years been flush with cash to spend on long-term investments. Restrictions on where they can put it, however, have limited their options and often diverted funds from projects.
BEST LOAN HOUSE
The 12 months through October 2008 marked a turning point for LatAm syndicated loans. The period is characterized by extreme turbulence that rattled its participants, upended deals, and shifted the rankings of leading institutions.
BEST EQUITY HOUSE
While 2008 saw a dramatic reduction in the number of LatAm IPOs and follow-on offerings compared to 2007, the past year brought a handful of unusual and notable deals that mark an advance for the region as a whole.
BEST SOVEREIGN ISSUER/LIABILITY MANAGEMENT
Don’t be fooled by size. Uruguay has consistently punched above its weight as a debt issuer and risk manager this decade. The issuer topped off a successful streak of liability management by steering investors to long-dated global and domestic bonds through November 2007 and June 2008 tenders.
