Rand Merchant Bank Investments
We are a leading solutions-driven Corporate and Investment bank that offers our clients innovative advisory and financing solutions across multiple industries in sub-Saharan Africa, London and India. Our highly-skilled teams in the Investment Banking Division (IBD) of RMB work across various asset classes, industries and currencies to advise, arrange, underwrite, distribute and provide funding across the whole capital structure for our clients.
RMB has a unique Principal Investments (PI) funding solution. This business works seamlessly with and spans across the rest of RMB’s Investment Banking Division.
It provides RMB with the ability to structure, advise and fund bespoke transactions in the mezzanine or shareholder layers of the capital structure. We are able to deploy this solution in all of the major asset classes, typically by providing quasi-debt or preferred equity funding at either company or shareholder levels. We are not limited by asset classes and over the past decade have implemented it in a range of assets, including the corporate, real estate, renewable energy, BEE, mining and telecoms sectors.
One of the main features of our PI solution is the flexibility that it provides to companies and investors. RMB adopts a partnership approach to offer:
- Funding that is covenant-light, typically limited-recourse and roll-up in nature (5 to 7 years). This gives management and shareholders the breathing room to focus on core business activities and aligns the repayment of the facility with corporate action or an exit
- A long-term view on the performance of the business or asset
We would consider the PI solution where there is a need to fund:
- Liquidity for distributions to shareholders
- Equity bridges with a view to an IPO or other liquidity event
- Monetising of stakes without having to sell
- Following of rights issues or capital calls
- Growth initiatives where senior debt capacity has been depleted
- Project finance (including greenfields and brownfields)
Our extensive offering includes:
- Corporate: This allows clients to raise funding at either company or shareholder level in any of the situations described above
- Real Assets: We invest in physical assets considered long-term, cash-generative or underpinned by off-take agreements. Real estate and renewable energy assets are just some of the asset types we consider falling into this category
- BEE: PI solutions are typically attractive in BEE transactions where parties require flexibility (given the limited amount of cash flows available)