Winners: FinanceAsia's Country Awards 2021, Part 1

It's been a quarter of a century since FinanceAsia was established. In the years since then, there have been a number of seismic shifts in Asia's financial markets that have been reflected in our Country Awards for the best banks, brokers and law firms across the region.

FinanceAsia's early years were dominated by tycoon-driven excesses and currency mismatches, setting the stage for the Asian Financial Crisis. This prompted root-and-branch reform of the banking industry right across the region, providing the foundations for the exponential growth we've witnessed over the past two decades.

In recent years, new financing models and home-grown regional players have started to become the order of the day. The region's wealth generation is giving these national champions the financial firepower to compete against and, in some instances, start to overshadow long-established international players. 

Over the past year, two other new trends have started to make themselves felt in these awards as well.

Firstly, environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors have become an essential topic of conversation. During the awards pitching process, it was impressive and inspiring to hear what banks are doing to improve their own carbon footprint and help companies transition to cleaner forms of energy, better governance and societal well-being. 

Secondly, Covid-19 has accelerated the entry of retail investors into many of the region's equity markets, facilitated by advancing digitalisation. 'Mom and pop' investors have been the saviour of many of the region's brokers during the past year.  

For the second year running, FinanceAsia's Country Awards have taken place against the backdrop of a raging pandemic. Asia's banking industry has performed remarkably well, supporting clients in tandem with government schemes and taking a conservative stance on provisioning. 

Some of this year's winners have had a record year and there has been a roster of sizeable and significant equity, debt and M&A deals. We would like to congratulate all the winners and to extend a special thanks to the editorial advisory board who helped us to pick them. They are: 

• Click here to see the winners from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mongolia
• Click here to see the winners from Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Sri Lanka
• Click here to see the winners from Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam