Citi named Emerging EMEA Bond House

In a year of record supply for emerging Europe, Middle East and Africa, IFR, a leading global capital markets magazine, named Citi ‘EMEA Emerging Market Bond House’ for the 2025 period citing its strong CV of client work.

This included being on every African sovereign bond deal during IFR's awards period.

In the awards write up, IFR noted it helped bring Kenya twice to the market in 2025 and Angola as it returned to the market in a Citi-led deal.

Away from sovereigns, Citi was on several Africa-related deals, including debuts from Azule Energy and Ivanhoe Mines.

Citi was not just strong in Africa but across the whole CEEMEA region, added IFR.

Citi’s CV involved being a lead on almost all the landmark deals, including Saudi Arabia’s US$12bn triple-tranche offering in the equal biggest EM deal of the year; Kuwait’s US$11.25bn triple-tranche transaction in its first deal since 2017; Abu Dhabi’s record tight spread for its US$2bn 10-year bond as part of a US$3bn dual-tranche deal; and Qatar’s record tight spread for a sukuk offering on its US$3bn 10-year tranche as part of a US$4bn transaction. Citigroup was global coordinator on all four deals.

In CEE, whether in the CIS, Central Europe, Turkey or the Balkans, Citi has a leading DCM footprint that resulted in key client work. For example, the bank led Turkish high-yield corporate Cimko Cement and Concrete.

According to Victor Mourad, Co-head of CEEMEA Debt Financing at Citi: ‘IFR’s Emerging EMEA Bond House award recognizes the depth and reach of Citi’s Emerging Markets network and testifies to the bank’s preeminence in meeting capital markets requirements of a diverse client base during a challenging period.’