The credit crunch, fuelled by illiquid markets and general fear across the finance industry, has had its impact on the EMEA region. But pessimism does not blanket the entire market as emeafinance discovered when it questioned some of EMEA’s leading buy side investors. On the contrary, the slowdown has provided time to evaluate deals and countries. Some governments are addressing fiscal imbalances and where necessary, high inflation.

As Egypt's government faces food riots and discontent on the street, foreign investors keep on coming.

emeafinance's 2008 awards sought to recognise the best banks, teams, and deals in the EMEA region in 2007. The winners are:

Despite the collapse of the ruling coalition, investors are hopeful the Hungarian government can stick to its fiscal austerity plans and weather the global credit crunch, writes Kester Eddy in Budapest.

Garanti Bank sold the first gender-linked bond from an emerging market issuer this year, and the Turkish bank is optimistic that the popularity of the socially conscious financing tool is due to grow.

Russia’s PIK Group has plans to ramp up capital markets activity in the coming years, as the firm announces a consolidation of its shareholder structure with company president Sergei Gordeev buying out two minority holders.

World Bank president Jim Yong Kim sets out a radical agenda for his second term that will move it away from direct funding towards de-risking projects in Africa to make them more attractive to private capital.

Nigeria made a barn-storming return to the US dollar bond market when it defied expectations and shaky fundamentals to print below 8% yield on a book that almost hit US$8bn.

Investors appear willing to back Egypt’s long-term growth, after the IMF delivered a US$12bn endorsement

Bank of Sharjah is marketing a new US dollar bond, and the issuer will likely have to field tricky questions on one of its major shareholders after Standard & Poor’s slashed the Emirate of Sharjah’s rating by two notches at the end of January.

Qatar came bursting back onto the bond market at the end of May with a US$9bn triple tranche trade, with a deal that looks set to kick-start more issuance from the country.

BNY Mellon is strengthening its commitment and focus on the EMEA region with a senior level Markets appointment to a newly-created position.