Galt & Taggart Named Best Investment Bank in Georgia
Galt & Taggart was recently named the Best Investment Bank in Georgia 2015 by the International Finance Magazine. This is the latest in a series of recent awards recognizing G&T and its achievements in the Georgian investment banking sphere.
G&T is the investment banking subsidiary of Bank of Georgia Holdings PLC, the only entity from Georgia listed on the premium segment of the London Stock Exchange. G&T has established itself as the leading investment bank in Georgia, offering a full range of investment banking services, including Corporate Advisory, Capital Markets, Asset and Wealth Management, Brokerage, and Research.
Over the past year, G&T acted as the sole placement agent for the EBRD and IFC local bond issuances and successfully placed corporate bonds for m2 Real Estate, Evex, and Georgian Water and Power (GWP), all listed on the Georgian Stock Exchange. The US$ 20 million m2 Real Estate bond issuance in March 2015 was the largest public fixed income placement in Georgia to date. The development of Georgian capital markets is crucial as it will enable better risk sharing and more efficient allocation of capital, while attracting foreign capital, which can lower the cost of funding for local companies. Around 50% of total funds raised through bond issuances placed by G&T in 2015 were financed by non-resident investors.
G&T’s Corporate Advisory department provides M&A, valuation, strategic advisory, debt structuring, and rating advisory services in both domestic and cross-border transactions. G&T assists companies in obtaining financing from local and international banks and other financial institutions. It has a significant track record in this field with more than 15 transactions. The latest major transaction was the acquisition of 25% shareholding in Georgian Global Utilities, the mother company of GWP, by Bank of Georgia Holdings in December 2014.
Galt & Taggart Research is a pioneer of investment research in Georgia, providing timely analysis and insights for its clients. The research team provides coverage of Georgian and Azerbaijani economies, Georgian business sectors, and Georgian Eurobond issuers – Georgian Railway and GOGC. The business sectors currently covered are energy, tourism, agriculture, wine, and retail and office real estate, with new major sectors in the pipeline. G&T Research is the trusted source of information on the Georgian market for not only Georgian companies and investors, but also foreign investors interested in the region, international organizations, foreign government representatives in the country, and Georgian missions abroad.
G&T’s brokerage division provides unparalleled regional expertise and trading capabilities in frontier markets. The company recently announced a landmark deal with Saxo Bank A/S. The agreement will allow G&T clients to access global capital markets and invest on a multi asset basis, providing a highly adaptive trading experience with professional tools, insights, and world-class execution to its users. The partnership with Saxo Bank will allow the company to bring the latest technology to the market and extend its track record of offering the best trading capabilities in the country.
“The awards that we have received over the past year serve as recognition of Galt & Taggart’s leadership role in the development of capital markets and investment banking in Georgia, as well as our commitment to innovative and professional service. We see significant potential in this sector and will continue to play a leading role as the major intermediary on the market,” said Archil Gachechiladze, Chairman of Galt & Taggart and Deputy CEO of Bank of Georgia.