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Global investment banking revenue drops to lowest since 2012

Surge in outbound deals bolsters revenue generated from China market, says Dealogic report

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Chinese conglomerate HNA Group made more than US$20 billion of acquisitions in 2016, Photo: AFP

Global investment banking revenue declined for the second consecutive year in 2016 and fell to the lowest level since 2012, while revenue generated from the China market hit a record on the back of a flurry of outbound merger and acquisition (M&A) deals, data from Dealogic shows.

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Global investment banking revenue declined 4 per cent to US$74.3 billion (HK$576.42 billion) in 2016, the lowest level after 2012’s US$69.1 billion.

On the other hand, Asia-Pacific investment banking revenue hit a record breaking US$16.2 billion in 2016, surpassing the previous high of US$15.9 billion in 2010. revenue from China soared to US$8.9 billion, thanks to the continued offshore buying spree by Chinese companies, while Japan revenue at US$2.8 billion was the lowest in eight years since it reached US$2.7 billion in 2008.

The decline in global investment banking revenue was driven by equity markets, which went down 25 per cent from 2015 to US$14 billion, marking the second lowest annual total since 2003, behind 2012. Merger and acquisition revenue remained on par with 2015, whilst revenue from debt markets and loans increased 7 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively.

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European investment banking revenue stood at US$16.2 billion in 2016, the second lowest level in 13 years in 2016, behind US$16.1 billion in 2012. While UK investment banking revenue fell 6 per cent year‐on‐year to US$4 billion, it accounted for a 25 per cent share of European investment banking, the highest share since the financial crisis.

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