First Metro Investment Corporation, the investment banking arm of the Metrobank Group, won four awards in the 15th Annual Deal & Solution Awards organized by leading regional capital markets magazine Alpha Southeast Asia.
The Bureau of the Treasury’s US$1.59 billion Retail Dollar Bonds bagged the Best Retail Dollar Bond Deal of the Year and Best Sovereign Bond Deal of the Year awards. First Metro was one of the joint issue managers of the first-ever onshore retail dollar bond issuance.
Meanwhile, the P55.89 billion initial public offering (IPO) of Monde Nissin Corp., the country’s largest IPO, was awarded the Best IPO Deal of the Year in the Philippines. First Metro acted as local lead underwriter and joint bookrunner of the offering.
First Metro also participated in the P15.29 billion IPO of MREIT, Inc., which was chosen as the Best Equity Deal in the Philippines. MREIT, Inc. is a company designated by Megaworld Corporation to operate as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).
The transactions were cited not only for their size but also because they were executed and closed in the middle of the pandemic, with a challenging operating environment for many investment banks and financial institutions. Planning, coordination, selling and distribution were done largely via virtual meetings and formats, including regulatory approvals and processes.
“We are both honoured and grateful for these awards. First Metro has been at the forefront of capital markets development for several decades now,” said First Metro president Jose Patricio Dumlao. “Our commitment to serve the needs of our clients and meet the changing demands of the market has not faltered even and especially during difficult times brought about by the pandemic.”
Alpha Southeast Asia is the first and only institutional investment magazine focused on Southeast Asia. Now on its 15th year, the Annual Best Deal & Solution Awards remains as the first and only award that uniquely recognizes deals/solutions completed in Southeast Asia by banks in the region.