BNP Paribas wins Most Transformed Loan House 2021 Award

GlobalCapital Asia recognised BNP Paribas as the Most Transformed Loan House for 2021, along with five deal awards.

In its 2021 Asia awards, GlobalCapital Asia recognised BNP Paribas as Most Transformed Loan House, a newly created category. The award is a testimony to the transformation of BNP Paribas capital markets platform in Asia Pacific, especially complementing its corporate loan business with a full offering for private equity clients.

In awarding BNP Paribas Most Transformed Loan House, GlobalCapital said: “BNP Paribas has evolved from a pure corporate loan-driven organisation to one that dabbled a little bit in leveraged finance, to one that was able to execute mezzanine deals, to one that is now able to support everything from a private equity firm’s needs like minority financing or convertible bonds, to pre-IPO financing, capital calls and equity portfolio financing.”

Transformation enabled opportunities

The transformation began as BNP Paribas planted the seed for a next level capital markets organisation, creating a dedicated sponsor coverage team in 2018, followed by overhauling of its syndication and distribution set up in 2019. The new structure meant that “unlike many other banks that only have access to credit funds, BNP Paribas could distribute to a wide range of investors, including pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, Chinese securities houses and Japanese leasing companies,” GlobalCapital added.

Christophe Cerisier

Equipped with a very diversified product offering, cultivated sectoral expertise and exceptional execution and distribution capabilities, BNP Paribas has become the go-to-bank for Financial Sponsors.

Christophe Cerisier, Co-Head of Loans & Specialised Finance, Asia Pacific

Subsequently, the official establishment of Capital Markets Group in the region in 2021 was highlighted by GlobalCapital as the move that “cemented its win for this newly-created category”.

The Capital Markets Group brings together financing, capital markets activities, such as DCM, ECM and Strategic Hedging, and syndication to offer one-stop-shop financing solutions to its clients.

Specifically, the formation of Loans & Specialised Finance team, a newly created business line within the Capital Markets Group was a major move which enabled BNP Paribas to serve the needs of its corporate and institutional clients across the loan markets, from energy transition to private credit and private equity.

Alexis Postel Vinay

Access to a broader institutional investor base combined with a new ability to repackage deals and provide back-leverage to investor clients allowed BNP Paribas to not only underwrite and close traditional loans but also underwrite and place new transactions with a wide range of price points.

Alexis Postel-Vinay, Head of Loans and Market Financing Syndicate, Asia Pacific

“Equipped with a very diversified product offering, cultivated sectoral expertise and exceptional execution and distribution capabilities, BNP Paribas has become the go-to-bank for Financial Sponsors, addressing a wide variety of situations including LBOs, bridge to High Yield bonds, Pre-IPO, minority stake and bridge financings, NAV-based fund-level and capital call facilities, sustainability-linked loans and integrated solutions,” said Christophe Cerisier, Co-Head of Loans & Specialised Finance, Asia Pacific.

“Access to a broader institutional investor base combined with a new ability to repackage deals and provide back-leverage to investor clients allowed BNP Paribas to not only underwrite and close traditional loans but also underwrite and place new transactions with a wide range of price points,” added Alexis Postel-Vinay, Head of Loans and Market Financing Syndicate, Asia Pacific.

At a critical time for climate action, BNP Paribas has continued to lead the evolution of the loan market into sustainable financing. The Bank arranged a landmark US$3.2bn sustainability-linked loan for Baring Private Equity Asia, the first of its kind in Asia.

The Bank has also received recognition across ECM, DCM and Loans categories:

  • BEST EQUITY LINKED DEAL and BEST ECM DEAL: Posco’s €1bn green convertible bond
  • BEST LEVERAGED/ACQUISITION FINANCE: US$817.9m five year loan for Blackstone’s leveraged buyout of Mphasis
  • BEST INVESTMENT GRADE LOAN: Mind ID’s US$1.5bn dual tranche loan
  • BEST FINANCIAL BOND: AIA Group’s €750m subordinated 12NC7 tier two bond
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