Awards: Deals of the Year 2017

2017 was a record breaking year for Latin America.

As global investors aggressively hunted for yield in emerging-market bonds, companies and governments in the region raised some $140 billion, the highest annual volume on record. The robust demand allowed issuers to push the boundaries on issue amounts and tenors.

The heavy inflows came against the backdrop of an improving economic outlook in the region, but the markets also improved despite worries about the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its potential impact on Mexico and the ongoing high-profile corruption scandals in Brazil and other countries in the region.

Mexican companies Pemex, Sigma Alimentos and IEnova overcame early investor jitters about NAFTA to raise capital in impressive transactions. Sovereign issuers Peru and Uruguay executed groundbreaking local currency deals. And in Brazil, Petrobras and Carrefour took advantage of a shift in investor sentiment to tap the debt and equity markets in stand-out deals.

Argentina also impressed. The sovereign issuer in 2017 raised nearly $17 billion and even placed a 100-year bond, only the second Latin American country to issue a so-called century bond.

These were among the winners in this year’s Deals of the Year awards, which recognize this year’s top transactions and success stories from Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Deals of the Year Awards are chosen through a rigorous and thorough selection process. After taking nominations from dealmakers and others, LatinFinance’s editorial team examines the data and discusses the merits of transactions and institutions with market participants.

In the deal categories, we look at the structure, timing and execution of transactions, in addition to their innovative and market-leading characteristics. For institutions, we consider their participation in complex, innovative and notable transactions, the depth and breadth of their activity and how their market standing has evolved.

In all of the categories, we considered deals closed between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017. Full details on the selection process can be found at www.latinfinance.com/awards/deals-of-the-year/2017. LF

Sovereign Issuer of the Year
Argentina

Corporate Issuer of the Year
Pemex

Sovereign Bond of the Year
Peru’s $3bn Euroclearable bond sale

Quasi-Sovereign Bond of the Year
Petroperú’s $2bn bond sale

Corporate High-Grade Bond of the Year
Sigma Alimentos’ €600m bond sale

Corporate High-Yield Bond of the Year
Klabin’s $500m green bond sale

Sovereign Liability Management Deal of the Year
Local Currency Bond of the Year
Uruguay

Corporate Liability Management Deal of the Year
Petrobras

IPO of the Year
Carrefour Brasil

Follow-On Offering of the Year
IEnova

Private Equity Deal of the Year
Ventika wind farm

Cross-Border M&A Deal of the Year
Duke Energy’s Latin American assets sale