The ranking it based on interviews with the finance directors of the 45 largest issuers of bonds in the Swedish market, who were asked to compare the performance of 19 banks – five from the Nordic region and 14 international players.
"Of the 19 criteria we were judged on, we came out on top in all but three," says Anders Engstrand, global head of Origination and Syndicate at SEB. "It is great to see that our clients appreciate what we do."
SEB's role in the bond financing process is to assist companies wanting to issue a bond, by providing advice on structuring the offering, identifying potential investors and managing the issue itself.
SEB performed better than its Nordic and international competitors in terms of product knowledge, analytical competence and advisory capacity in addition to market share and market penetration,
"We have aimed at increasing our advisory activities and creativity – coming up with new ideas and structures and showing the sound reasoning behind them," Engstrand says.
SEB was also top ranked in the business area last year.