The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), often referred to as the ‘Nation’s Bank’, has won the ‘Power Deal of the Year- 2021’ award in the Infrastructure Awards category from The Asset (Triple A) for its work as a lead advisor and mandated lead arranger in a major infrastructure project for the Government of Punjab – ‘Punjab Thermal Power Private Limited (PTPL)’.
The ‘Asset Triple A’ Awards are Asia’s preeminent recognition of entities that have excelled in their industries.
ALSO READ
NBP Disburses Collateral Free Loans to Nearly 5,000 Applicants
PTPL was incorporated in 2017 as an Independent Power Producer (IPP) in District Jhang, Punjab. As one of the most efficient RLNG projects, it will add 1,263 MW of electricity to the National Grid, which will improve the supply of power and provide cheaper electricity.
The project had been one of the biggest in its category, and had one of the largest public sector funding requirements. This deal had been structured as a hybrid transaction to allow participation from the conventional and Islamic Banks. The NBP had taken the lead by opening the Project LCs and by providing the Bridge Financing Facility.
The transaction had been attractive due to its cost-effectiveness, economic benefits to the industrial sector, and financial viability. As a result of efficient advisory and arrangement services by all the Mandated Lead Arrangers, financial closure was achieved on 23 April 2021.
In terms of size and funding requirements, it is the biggest Project Finance deal that had been concluded during the year 2020-21 in Pakistan’s financial sector.
This landmark transaction is indicative of the NBP’s cutting edge capabilities in structuring large complex infrastructure transactions, and its ability to provide full life-cycle expertise across such productive assets and in power generation in a highly innovative manner that is also commercially accepted by the market.
ALSO READ
Pakistan Becomes First Country in South Asia to Receive LEED Platinum Certification
The NBP’s dominance as a leading financial powerhouse has consistently been acknowledged through a number of prestigious domestic and international awards. It recently won the ‘Best Corporate & Investment Bank in Pakistan’ award for 2021 by Asiamoney, and was declared the “Best Bank in Pakistan” and the “Best Investment Bank in Pakistan” for 2021 by Global Finance Magazine.
These awards are testimonies of the high-quality service and financial acumen that NBP brings to the market, and highlight how it continues to be a preferred and trusted long-term partner of its clients.
