Citigroup anticipates good prospects for this 2018 year for investment banking services on the African continent and in the Middle East.
In Africa, Nigeria and Egypt will be the main drivers of bond sales growth, mergers and acquisitions and the resumption of public equity sales, said Miguel Azevero, director of investment banking at Citigroup in Nigeria. Middle East and Africa.
“The opportunity pipeline in Africa and the Middle East is currently at a level that has not been seen since the 2008 financial crisis … Emerging markets are more important than others. Said Miguel Azevero.
Citigroup’s interest in these countries lies in the fact that GDP growth for these emerging markets is between 4,5 and 5%, while that of advanced economies is between 2,5 and 3%. Also for the investment bank, growth should be even more important
In Nigeria, for example, the bank expects significant opportunities, thanks to the low level of indebtedness, which should return to the 2018 bond markets, while Nigerian companies should also issue bonds and launch IPOs. .
As a reminder, Nigeria issued a two-part international bond of 3 billion in November, an agreement managed by Citigroup and Standard Chartered.
For Azevero, Egypt’s outlook was also positive after the devaluation of the currency in 2016 and IPOs were planned in sectors such as industrial and manufacturing and financial services and consumers.