With banks and structured investment vehicles no longer able to provide limitless leverage to European buyout funds, private equity firms are being forced to rethink their strategy towards both financing and acquisitions.
Barclays built a multi-asset execution platform out of the Lehman acquisition, and the debt specialist in the bank’s two-man management team for global finance in the EMEA region is relishing the opportunity to deploy that platform if merger and acquisition activity picks up.
Unlike their counterparts in Ireland and Spain, banks in Portugal are the victims rather than the perpetrators of the country's debt crisis. This should put them in a good position to recover, but limited access to funding and increasing capital ratio requirements are forcing them to change their previously profitable business models.
The Banker’s Deals of the Year for 2012 celebrate the most impressive transactions in FIG capital raising, M&A, corporate and SSA bonds, infrastructure and project finance, loans, structured finance, equities, restructuring, Islamic finance, and this year a newly added trade finance category. Many deals were undertaken in very difficult market conditions, while banks from emerging markets are noticeably playing a larger role in the top transactions in their countries.
At a time of fiscal austerity across many countries in Europe, clampdowns on tax planning by large corporates or wealthy individuals play favourably with voters. But they can also undermine competitiveness and the fragile economic recovery.
As China has moved to speed up the internationalisation of its domestic currency since the financial crisis, the UK has made no secret of its willingness to play a role in this process. But much work still needs to be done with regards to trade settlements between the two countries, as well as improving transport links and communications.