We're happy to reveal our picks for the best deals and dealmakers of 2013 in our annual Achievement Awards. Nominated by parties including banks and borrowers and chosen by the EMEA Finance team, our winning houses and transactions exemplify the kind of innovative efforts taking place in the region’s capital markets.

As always, we congratulate all of our winners on their achievements and the new ground broken by so much of their work. Full editorial coverage of the awards will appear in the forthcoming edition of EMEA Finance.

As 2013 comes to an end, EMEA Finance is proud to launch its annual Achievement Awards, recognising the past year's top capital markets deals and the firms behind them.

As well as our headline 'Deal of the Year' award, we have individual categories for debt markets, equity markets and depositary receipts, syndicated loans, structured finance, Islamic finance, M&A and private equity and restructuring.

Read on for more details on the submission process. A complete list of categories can be viewed here.

Financial-services technology network Swift aims to open an office in Ghana this year, its CEO for Europe, the Middle East and Africa tells EMEA Finance.

Speaking at last week's Swift Business Forum in London, Alain Raes highlighted rapid growth in African economies and financial markets, which calls for Swift to develop a greater presence on the ground.

"If you want to start supporting mission-critical local-market infrastructures like payment processes, you need to start proposing the sort of local support that can react in a minute if something is happening," he says. "If we want to become more a part of domestic markets, it's likely we'll have to invest further in local resources and support."

Mauritian banking group AfrAsia could soon enter Kenya, chief executive officer James Benoit tells EMEA Finance.

The group has been approached by several institutions keen to strike a deal and the CEO expects to reach an agreement this year.

In preparation for continued expansion, the group has made several new appointments, hiring bankers from global names including Standard Chartered and Standard Bank.

Banks seeking to improve the end user online cash management (CM) experience for corporate clients will spearhead 7.1% growth in IT spending on CM solutions in 2009-10, with total IT spending reaching US$904mn in December this year, according to the consultant Celent.

Bank makes four new appointments in EMEA global transaction services team.

Bank names new London-based head of European financial institutions.

Investment services firm announces moves and promotions across Middle East and Africa division.

Bank undergoes first change in governorship for 23 years.

Bank names new head of cash products for transaction banking.

Bank hires former Standard Chartered product developer for new cash-management role.

Five new faces join the bank’s London-based GTS team.