Standard Chartered top bookrunner for peso bonds in 2019

UK-based Standard Chartered Bank was the top bookrunner for Philippine peso-denominated bonds in 2019 with deals worth a record sum of P102.4 billion arranged during the year.

This is based on a league table published by Bloomberg in December 2019.

The P102.4-billion worth of debt deals lead-arranged in 2019 translates to a 30-percent market share, cementing Stanchart’s leading position in the local debt capital markets.

This was also considered a historical record in terms of volume any bookrunner has arranged in the domestic bond market in a single year.

“We will continue to leverage on our deep local expertise, capabilities and relationships, bringing the extensive network of SCB to ensure the best outcome for our clients,” Stanchart Philippines chief executive officer Lynette Ortiz said in a press statement on Friday.

She reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to deliver “noteworthy” transactions.

Stanchart, the first foreign bank to set up shop in the Philippines, bagged a number of financial deals for various issuers in the country, including the national government.

The bank was the sole arranger of the P35-billion 1.5-year fixed rate bond issue of BDO Unibank, which set a record as the largest ever Philippine peso-denominated single tranche bond issuance.

Stanchart also arranged last year the establishment of bond programs for Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., Philippine Savings Bank and Development Bank of the Philippines. It arranged a total issuance volume of P142 billion for Philippine banks, making this foreign bank the market leader in debt placements for financial institutions. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla