ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Emirates NBD has won two major equity capital markets honours at the 2025 Middle East awards presented by International Financing Review (IFR), securing the titles of Middle East Equity House of the Year and Middle East Equity Issue of the Year.
The Equity Issue of the Year award was given for du’s Dh3.15 billion follow-on offering, on which Emirates NBD acted as a joint global coordinator. IFR said both programmes were the only equity awards focused on the Middle East in its 2025 edition, underlining the bank’s role in regional equity capital markets during the year.
According to the bank, the Equity House of the Year award reflects its continued development as a regional equity capital markets franchise, supporting issuers in the UAE and across the wider region. During 2025, Emirates NBD executed equity transactions on both local exchanges and expanded its activities in Saudi Arabia, supporting cross-border investment flows and broader investor participation.
Hitesh Asarpota, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates NBD Capital, said: “These IFR awards recognise our leadership as a global coordinator and our commitment to supporting trusted equity markets in the UAE and across the Middle East. We continue to break new ground with diversified offerings while executing complex transactions to facilitate greater capital flows in the region. As the UAE’s capital markets continue to grow and mature, Emirates NBD will keep supporting innovation, market development and long-term economic growth.”
In the UAE, Emirates NBD said it played leading roles on several equity transactions in 2025, acting as joint global coordinator on all UAE IPOs across the DFM and the ADX. These included Alpha Data, described as the first family-owned company to list on ADX; Dubai Residential, the first real estate investment trust to list under the UAE’s new REIT regulations and the first such listing in eight years; and Alec Holding, the largest IPO in the UAE construction sector.
The bank also acted as a joint global coordinator on du’s Dh3.15 billion follow-on offering, which IFR named Middle East Equity Issue of the Year. Emirates NBD said the transaction was the UAE’s first fully marketed secondary offering and the largest secondary selldown on the DFM.
Emirates NBD reported strong equity market performance during 2025, with Emirates NBD Capital ranking first in the IPO league table for UAE IPOs. The bank also advised on all UAE tender offers during the year, including Aramex, Emirates Islamic and Gulf Cement, while Emirates NBD Securities ranked as the second-largest broker on the Dubai Financial Market, improving from fourth place in 2024.
Outside the UAE, Emirates NBD said it continued to build momentum in Saudi Arabia through participation in major transactions, including the Flynas IPO and ACWA Power’s $1.9 billion rights issue.