Maybank

Economic recovery and sustainable finance to drive loan growth this year

Kuala Lumpur, 7 April 2022 - Maybank Investment Bank has been named Malaysia Syndicated Loan House of the Year by the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA) for the second consecutive year, based on votes from APLMA members. This industry recognition further attests to Maybank Investment Bank’s capabilities in origination and structuring, not only locally but also across the region.

Maybank Investment Bank was Joint Mandated Lead Arranger and Bookrunner for Battersea Phase 3 Holding Co Ltd’s GBP895mn term loan, Lotuss Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd’s RM2.3bn syndicated loan and Malayan Cement Berhad’s RM2.0bn syndicated facility. The latter two were among several high profile Malaysian borrowers that tapped the syndication market with tremendous success last year.

Malaysia’s loan activity remained flattish from 24 deals in 2020 to 23 deals in 2021. However, loan volumes rebounded 43% year-on-year, hitting USD9.3 billion in 2021. Volumes were dominated by the Financial and Real Estate sectors at 48% and 28%, respectively.

Kevin Davies, Head, Investment Banking & Advisory, Maybank Investment Bank, said: “We have seen healthy investor appetite for Malaysian credits coupled with abundant liquidity in Malaysia. This is evidenced by the strong year-on-year growth in syndicated loan volumes with an increase in loan financing activities.

“As a whole, borrowers have been demonstrating signs of business improvement and we expect the overall volume to grow at a faster pace in 2022 as our market moves towards a recovery phase. Growth is also expected as the public sector increases its participation in the syndication market, driven in part by marked increases in green, social, sustainability (GSS) and sustainability-linked loans (SLL). Demand for sustainable finance in Malaysia will continue to be driven by government infrastructure projects such as low carbon public transportation, renewable energy as well as water infrastructure and water management,” he added.

The 11th annual Asia Pacific Syndicated Loan Market Awards recognised outstanding achievements in 26 categories. The awards are voted for by members of the APLMA, a professional not-for-profit trade association, with no marketing or pitching involved.

Besides Malaysia, Maybank Investment Banking Group also won Vietnam Syndicated Loan House of the Year for the first time.