BDO Capital & Investment Corporation once again bagged the Best Domestic Equity House and Best Domestic Debt House Awards in the 2008 Best Banks Awards by Asiamoney, the leading monthly capital markets magazine in Asia. This is the third time for BDO Capital to receive such recognition from the prestigious international publication since 2006.

Asiamoney cited BDO Capital’s strong visibility in the Philippines. It further noted that BDO Capital’s affiliation with its parent effectively makes it a one-stop shop investment house. BDO led the equity capital market league tables as a domestic bookrunner from May 2007 to April 2008 with six deals valued at US$171 million.

As a domestic debt house, BDO Capital is still viewed as being ahead of its rivals, retaining its three-year stranglehold on the award. BDO Capital jointly arranged the P29.2 billion bridge loan facility for Red Vulcan Holdings to partially finance the purchase of 60% equity in PNOC Energy Development Corp., paving the way for the latter’s full privatization. BDO Capital also lead arranged First Gen Corp.’s US$140 million dual-currency bridge loan facility, as well as the US$380 million syndicated term-loan facility for SN Aboitiz Power, which was partly used to finance the landmark purchase of Magat hydroelectric power plant from the Philippine government.

As one analyst notes: "On the debt side, BDO has the best complement of people working on deals. I work with them and their experience shows. They have built a good network and BDO has merged with a good bank [Equitable PCI], so the potential for them to do better is there. In terms of international appeal, BDO is ahead."

BDO Capital is the wholly owned investment banking subsidiary of BDO. A full-service investment house, BDO Capital connects businesses and institutions with people, ideas and capital through a wide range of advisory and investment banking services as well as disciplined planning, prioritized focus and execution.