Bonds, Loans & ESG Capital Markets Africa Awards 2023 | GFC Media Group | Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, V&A Waterfront Silo District, S Arm Rd, Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa

Since 2015, the Bonds & Loans Awards has been recognising the most innovative and ground-breaking deals from Sovereign, Corporate and Financial Institution issuers and borrowers.

The exhaustive selection process involves close examination of deal size, tenor, structure, and distribution; analysis and background of the borrower and their accessibility to financing; with extra credit for those deals demonstrating high quality execution, accessing new pools of liquidity, innovative structuring, and opening-up new markets.

Bringing together the industry’s most high-profile figures, the Bonds, Loans & ESG Capital Markets Africa AWARDS ceremony is an opportunity to raise the profile of the financial markets with the international investment community, and to inspire future issuance by African companies.

2022 Winners

Deals of the Year

International Sovereign, Supra & Agency Bond Deal of the Year 2022
• Republic of Ghana USD 3.25bn 144a/RegS 4-Tranche Bond (April 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Citi, BofA Securities, Rand Merchant Bank, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered, CalBank, Databank Brokerage, Fidelity Bank, IC Securities, Temple Investments
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: White & Case, Korteng & Korteng, CQ Legal and Consulting
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs: Herbert Smith Freehills, ENSafrica

International Corporate Bond Deal of the Year 2022
• BIDVEST USD 800m 144a/RegS Senior Unsecured 5NC2 Bond (Sept 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Absa, Barclays, BofA Securities, BNP Paribas, Citi, Rand Merchant Bank, Standard Bank
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: White & Case
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs: Cleary Gottlieb & Hamilton

International Bank/FI Bond Deal of the Year 2022
• Access Bank USD 500m 144a/RegS Perpetual NC5.25 Bond (Sept 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Citi, JPMorgan, Mashreq, Renaissance, Chapel Hill Denham Advisory, Coronation Merchant Bank
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: Clifford Chance LLP, Aluko & Oyebode, Wigwe and Partners
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs: White & Case, Banwo and Ighodalo, Templars

Local Currency Sovereign, Supra & Agency Bond Deal of the Year 2022
• Rand Water ZAR 1.709bn Sustainability-Linked Bond (June 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Rand Merchant Bank
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyer
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs:

Local Currency Corporate Bond Deal of the Year 2022
• East African Breweries KES 11bn Senior Secured Bond with Transitionary Bridge Financing (Oct 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Absa
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: Coulson Harney
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs:

Local Currency Bank/FI Bond Deal of the Year 2022
• Urban Ubomi 1(RF) Ltd ZAR 609m Securirisation/Social Bond (Mar 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Standard Bank
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: Webber Wentzel
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs:

Structured Bond Deal of the Year 2022
• SAPPI Southern Africa ZAR 1.8bn Convertible Bond (Nov 2020)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Morgan Stanley, Rand Merchant Bank
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: Webber Wentzel
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs:

International Syndicated Loan Deal of the Year 2022
• Bank of Industry USD 1bn Syndicated Term Loan Facility (Dec 2020)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: AFREXIM, Credit Suisse, Rand Merchant Bank, SMBC, Africa Finance Corporation
• Legal Advisers to Borrower: Olaniwun Ajayi LLP
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs: White & Case, G.Elias

Local Currency Syndicated Loan Deal of the Year 2022
• MTN Zambia ZMW 960.764m and ZAR 270m Multi-Currency Term Loan Facility (June 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Rand Merchant Bank
• Legal Advisers to Borrower: Webber Wentzel
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs: Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs, Corpus Legal Practitioners

Structured Loan Deal of the Year 2022
• African Natural Resources & Mines Limited (ANRML) NGN 83.1bn Syndicated Term Loan within Differentiated Cash Reserve Regime of Central Bank of Nigeria’s Real Sector Support Facility (May 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Citi, Union Bank of Nigeria, GT Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, UBA, FCMB, Coronation Bank, FBNQuest Merchant Bank, Globus Bank
• Legal Advisers to Borrower: Templars
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs: Norton Rose, Aluko & Oyebode

Project & Structured Finance Deal of the Year 2022
• Ministry of Finance, Republic of Angola USD 910m Syndicated Loan/IBRD Partial Risk Guarantee Facility with ATI CRI Cover (June 2021)
• IFI/DFI Lenders: World Bank, BPI
• MLAs/Arrangers/Bookrunners: Standard Chartered Bank, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, Credit Suisse, Societe Generale, Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen, Santander
• Legal Adviser to Obligor: ASP Advogados, VdA Legal Partners
• Legal Advisers to Borrower: Norton Rose Fulbright
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs: Allen & Overy

International ESG & Sustainable Finance Deal of the Year 2022
• Ecobank Transnational Incorporated USD 350m 144a/RegS 10NC5 Tier-2 Sustainability Notes (June 2021)
• MLAs/Arrangers/Bookrunners: Citi, Mashreq, Renaissance Capital, Standard Chartered Bank
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: Norton Rose
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs:

Local Currency ESG & Sustainable Finance Deal of the Year 2022
• Nedbank Group ZAR 910m SDG-Linked Subordinated Additional Tier 1 Capital Private Placement (June 2021)
• JLMs/Bookrunners: Nedbank
• Legal Advisers to Issuer: Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyer
• Legal Adviser to the JLMs:

Bank Awards WINNERS:
• International Markets Bond House of the Year 2022: Citi
• Local Markets Bond House of the Year 2022: Standard Bank
• International Markets Loan House of the Year 2022: Standard Chartered
• Local Markets Loan House of the Year 2022: Absa
• International Markets ESG & Sustainable Finance Adviser of the Year 2022: Natixis
• Local Markets ESG & Sustainable Finance Adviser of the Year 2022: Standard Bank
• Sub-Sahara Africa Investment Bank of the Year 2022: Absa
• East Africa Investment Bank of the Year 2022: Stanbic
• West Africa Investment Bank of the Year 2022: Stanbic
• Project & Structured Finance Bank of the Year 2022: Standard Bank

Borrower Awards WINNERS:
• Sovereign, Supra & Agency Treasury & Funding Team of the Year 2022: Republic of Benin
• Corporate Treasury & Funding Team of the Year 2022: Liquid Intelligent Technologies
• Bank Treasury & Funding Team of the Year 2022: Access Bank

Legal Awards WINNERS:
• Banking & Finance Legal Adviser of the Year 2022: Allen & Overy
• Capital Markets Legal Adviser of the Year 2022: White & Case