Emirates NBD has been honored with the title of “Best Equity Investment Company in the Middle East for 2025” by International Financing Review (IFR), a publication focused on capital markets. Additionally, the bank’s role as a joint global coordinator in the secondary public offering for “du” earned it the award for “Best Equity Offering in the Middle East for the year.” This recognition highlights Emirates NBD’s prominent position in the regional capital markets this year.
Continuous Advancement
The “Best Equity Investment Company of the Year” award underscores Emirates NBD’s ongoing development as a leading institution in regional capital markets. The bank supports issuers across the UAE and the wider region in accessing broader and more diverse funding sources.
In 2025, the bank executed numerous transactions in the financial markets of the UAE and expanded its activities in the Saudi stock market, thereby enhancing cross-border investment flows and increasing investor participation.
Innovative Solutions
Hitesh Sarbutia, CEO of Emirates NBD Capital, stated, “Our success at the IFR awards represents our leadership as a global coordinator and our commitment to supporting reputable equity markets in the UAE and the Middle East. We continue to focus on innovating new solutions by offering a range of diverse services and executing complex transactions that facilitate increased capital flows in the region. As capital markets in the UAE continue to grow and mature, Emirates NBD will maintain its support for innovation, market development, and long-term economic growth.”
Leadership Role
Emirates NBD played a pivotal role in several significant equity transactions that contributed to the enhancement and maturity of local markets. The bank acted as a joint global coordinator for all initial public offerings (IPOs) in the UAE for the year 2025 across both the Dubai Financial Market and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. These IPOs included “Alpha Data,” the first family-owned company listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange; “Dubai Residential,” now known as “Masakin Dubai,” the first real estate investment trust to be listed under the UAE’s new REIT regulations, marking the first listing of its type in eight years; and “Alec Holding,” the largest IPO in the construction sector within the country. Each of these transactions introduced new models or structures for issuers into the market, further diversifying the sectors involved.
Emirates NBD also served as one of the joint global coordinators in the secondary public offering of “du,” amounting to 3.15 billion dirhams, which won the award for “Best Equity Offering in the Middle East for the year.” This offering was the first fully marketed secondary offering in the UAE and represented the largest secondary sale on the Dubai Financial Market. The transaction was designed to enhance the liquidity of “du” shares and broaden its shareholder base after a prolonged period of limited trading.
In addition to the accolades received by Emirates NBD, the bank demonstrated strong performance in the equity markets throughout 2025, leading the UAE in IPO activities. The bank also provided advisory services on all acquisition offers in the UAE, including those for “Aramex,” “Emirates Islamic,” and “Gulf Cement,” while Emirates NBD Securities secured the second position among brokerage firms in the Dubai Financial Market, up from fourth place in 2024.
Emirates NBD’s efforts extend beyond the UAE, as it continues to build momentum in Saudi Arabia through its involvement in prominent transactions, including the IPO for Nas Air and the rights issue for “Acwa Power” valued at 1.9 billion USD.