KUALA LUMPUR (April 12): CIMB Group Holdings Bhd bagged five awards at the Islamic Finance News (IFN) Deal of the Year Awards 2021 and Best Banks Poll 2021.

In a statement on Tuesday (April 12), CIMB also said its subsidiaries CIMB Investment Bank Bhd and CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd were awarded four awards for a series of landmark Sukuk deals, while CIMB Islamic Bank won the award for Best Islamic Bank in Malaysia for the sixth consecutive year.

CIMB Investment Bank chief executive officer Jefferi Hashim said the awards showcased CIMB’s ability to consistently deliver bespoke and innovative solutions to meet its clients' funding needs which further entrenches the group’s and Malaysia’s position as a global leader in the Sukuk market.

“These awards highlight our progress towards becoming an ASEAN leader in sustainability, including our commitment to mobilise RM30 billion in sustainable finance by 2024,” he said.

CIMB said that among the notable Sukuk deals was the Malaysian government’s 10-year US$800 million sustainability Sukuk deal from its dual-tranche US$1.3 billion Sukuk Wakalah offering, which won the IFN Wakalah Deal of the Year 2021 award.

The group said this was the world’s first US dollar sustainability Sukuk offering by a sovereign and this landmark transaction achieved the lowest US dollar yield and spread to US treasuries for the Malaysian government.

CIMB acted as active lead manager, active bookrunner and shariah adviser for the aforesaid transaction and was the only Malaysian and ASEAN-based bank in the deal.

Meanwhile, Jefferi said CIMB Islamic Bank’s recognition as the Best Islamic Bank for the sixth consecutive year underscores its contribution to the development of Islamic finance for individuals, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and corporates, in addition to its support for the community and the environment.

“Most importantly, we would like to express our gratitude to our clients and customers for their long-standing support and trust in CIMB,” he added.

The complete list of awards won by CIMB is as follows:

According to CIMB, the IFN Deals of the Year awards were established in 2006 and are presented to financial institutions that have participated in the industry’s most ground-breaking transactions each year.

Meanwhile, the group said the IFN Best Banks Poll recognises the best providers of Islamic financial services as voted by the readers of IFN.