Our clients

NEDBANK CAPITAL

 

‘UNDERSTANDING CLIENTS’ NEEDS AND EXTENDING OUR
SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL REACH IN
NEDBANK CAPITAL’

Nedbank Capital’s ultimate goal is to become a leading, integrated investment bank. This involves creating a culture of collaboration, which will ultimately lead to the growth of the business through new ideas and markets. Over the last four years the division has made good progress towards achieving this goal, thanks to its commitment to developing multidisciplinary solutions involving cooperation between the various product areas.

The primary Capital are as follows:

• The Global Markets division aims to provide a full hedging suite, establish proprietary trading funds and acquire new clients with a particular emphasis on retaining them.
• Treasury is involved in the management of marketrelated risk for the group and has a strategic focus on supporting treasuries in Africa, new products and new sources of funding.
• The Debt Capital Markets division deals with securitisation and bond origination businesses and provides interest rate solutions. It focuses on identifying potential credit, offering debt and structuring opportunities and broadening its geographic footprint.
• The Equities division focuses on developing and managing innovative derivative and stockbroking products within the risk framework, implementing electronic execution services for clients and steadily increasing its client base.
• The Investment Banking division primarily provides private equity, advisory and specialised finance products and services, which focus on corporate restructuring, BEE initiatives, stock exchange listings, disposals, privatisations and capital raisings, project finance and private equity investments.

Through the business operations of these divisions, Nedbank Capital follows a cautious diversification approach aimed at minimising the concentration of risk in any one category and providing a sustainable business model. To this end several strategies are followed, including:

• focusing on achieving excellence in selected sectors, such as Mining and Resources and Energy and Infrastructure;
• expanding into the African continent in selected jurisdictions that have been rigorously investigated in terms of market potential;
• developing products on an ongoing basis to establish a full spectrum of investment banking solutions;
• developing a blue-chip client base domestically, while providing substantial support to BEE companies; and
• establishing a Nedbank Capital collaborative culture by providing organisational development initiatives, eg lifestyle enhancement programmes.
  

COMMITTED TO TRANSFORMATION

Nedbank Capital’s commitment to transformation of the financial services industry is evidenced by dedicated resources to drive the implementation of multiple initiatives in the FSC, notably the provision of transformational infrastructure financing Other elementsand BEE transaction financing. of transformation (eg employment equity and skills development) are also continuously monitored and driven at executive level.

COMMITTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT

The provision of finance to mining and resources projects, in particular, is fraught with environmental challenges. Nedbank Capital seeks to minimise adverse effects of such development and to create awareness of the concept of ‘responsible lending’.This has been done in two ways:

• It is the first South African bank to subscribe to the Equator Principles and these are enforced in the relevant committees where such proposals are brought for approval.
  
• Nedbank Capital established the Green Mining Awards, which reward companies that conduct their business with due regard to the environment.
  

In addition, Nedbank Capital has a Carbon Finance unit that:

• views carbon emissions holistically and assists clients to position themselves in a carbon-constrained economy;
• creates awareness of our carbon footprint and advises on methods to minimise this;
• identifies and develops Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects;
• identifies and develops energy efficiency projects; and
• monetises carbon benefits derived from carbon credits generated through CDM projects.
  

COMMITTED TO THE FUTURE

Nedbank Capital is a proud sponsor of the Nedbank Capital Chess Kids Academy. The programme teaches young children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds to play chess, thereby contributing meaningfully to their education, problem-solving abilities and overall social development. Many staffmembers actively support and participate in the programme.

The pilot phase was run at Monash University on Saturday mornings. During this period, almost 1 000 Grade 8 learners enrolled in the programme. By the end of the year this figure had grown to 1 200. No less than 600 learners have already passed Level 1. There are a further eight levels offered by the academy that will see the children moving from the basics of chess right up to club and tournament level. School district authorities, participating schools and schools keen to join the project have all requested that the initiative be expanded in 2009.

An additional measure of the success of the project is illustrated in the example set by two of its brightest members, Thabo Rapule and Mapule Motsepe. Thabo Rapule, an 18-year old from Diepsloot, has just passed Grade 11. He travels more than 30 kilometres every Saturday to participate in the Nedbank Capital Chess Kids Academy. Within a few months of having joined, he had graduated to Level 2 of the programme and now assists younger players.

Motsepe, an 18-year old from Zandspruit, has just completed her matric and was one of the first five participants to graduate to Level 1 of the programme. She was also one of the first girls to show interest in the game, which tends to be dominated by boys in the sessions. She has since become a rolemodel for younger girls in the programme.

The commitment, enthusiasm and leadership shown by both Thabo Rapule and Mapule Motsepe have resulted in each beingUniversityawarded a scholarship through the Monash Fund for Education in South Africa towards their tertiary education. Having the scholarship is a dream come true,’ says‘ Thabo. ‘I want to be a chartered accountant one day. Now I have hope that I can be.’