SICO BSC (c), a leading regional asset manager, broker, and investment bank (licensed as a wholesale bank by the CBB), was named Best Investment Bank in Bahrain at the 2023 Global Finance World’s Best Investment Banks awards for the fourth consecutive year. The award stands as yet another affirmation of SICO’s ability to deliver advisory services and execute complex deals across a wide spectrum of sectors, consistently and efficiently.
For over two decades, SICO has been the investment house of choice in the Bahraini market for equity and debt capital market transactions, M&A deals and advisory services thanks to its team of highly experienced professionals and ability to offer a comprehensive range of tailored financial services.
SICO’s CEO, Najla Al-Shirawi, commented on the award saying, “Over the course of the past year, we have leveraged our established and diversified experience in offering the best in-class advisory services to our clients to manage and execute varied transactions in Bahrain and across the region, including the execution of the landmark cross-border KFH acquisition of AUB. We are proud to be recognized by Global Finance for the fourth year running, which serves as a testament to the growing capabilities of our incredibly talented team, who have allowed us to maintain our status as the prime gateway to capital markets for Bahrain and the region.”
The division’s landmark transaction for 2022 was the Kuwait Finance House (KFH) acquisition of Bahrain-based Ahli United Bank (AUB) in a USD 10.9 billion deal. SICO Investment Banking acted as Bahrain receiving agent, Bahrain execution advisor, and cross-listing advisor on the deal, which stands today as the third largest banking acquisition in GCC history that has created the region’s sixth largest bank and the second largest Islamic lender. SICO’s mandate required significant synchronization with numerous stakeholders including the central clearing houses of both countries and regulators.
SICO investment banking has a long track record as a market leader and the partner of choice for M&A deals and IPOs in Bahrain. The SICO team has advised on some of the country’s largest and most complex transactions, such as the APM Terminals IPO, the most successful IPO on the Bahrain Bourse in a decade, and the acquisition of Bahrain Islamic Bank (BISB) by National Bank of Bahrain (NBB).
Global Finance award winners are selected based on a number of criteria, including market share, number and size of deals, level of service and advice offered to clients, structuring capabilities, distribution network, efforts to address market conditions, innovation, pricing, after-market performance of underwritings and market reputation.