Since the outbreak of the global pandemic, securing and managing liquidity has been a top priority for asset managers and corporate treasurers alike. “This, in effect, opened some clients’ eyes to what– securities lending and financing can be used for,” says Zorawar Singh, Global Head of Agency Securities Lending, Corporate Bank, Deutsche Bank.

The equity markets have seen increased volatility, which is shaping investment decisions. At the same time there is an unprecedented demand for fixed income as central bank actions have become more pronounced. The Federal Reserve and the Bank of England have both committed to more rate hikes over the course of 2022. At the same time, The European Central Bank is expected to raise the deposit rate for the first time in over a decade in July.

On the back of this development, Deutsche Bank has been recognised the Number 1 agency lender in EMEA in the Global Investor's Beneficial Owners Survey 2022. While this is the fifth successive year Deutsche Bank’s agency lending business has secured the top rating in the EMEA, the bank made a significant step forward in the Americas: For the first time in years, Deutsche Bank was voted in the top three agency lenders in this region by its clients.

Due to the strong performance in the Americas, the bank also appeared in the top three global lenders rankings. “This is testimony to the continuity of performance and service the Bank delivers to some of the largest and most sophisticated institutional investors in the market,” says Deutsche Bank’s Singh.

The Global Investor's Beneficial Owners Survey 2022 asks beneficial owners around the world – mainly asset managers or mutual funds but also public and private pension funds, insurance companies and central banks – to rate the performance of their custodial lenders and third-party agent lenders across a number of service categories. This includes areas such as collateral management, market coverage, reporting transparency and programme customisation. In the 2022 survey, Deutsche Bank came out in the top three in most of these categories – including Income Generated, and Relationship and Risk Management.

“Deutsche Agency Lending has been a great agent lender for us [over the past few years],” one respondent was quoted in the report. “Specifically over this past year, we have been happy with the increased earnings, client service, and programme parameter management. Deutsche Agency Lending has really done a great job for us over the years including this past year and always goes above and beyond with client service.”
Half the firms that responded reported assets under management (AuM) valued at more than US$100bn, while one-third had assets between US$10bn and US$25bn. The remainder had AuM under US$10bn. All in, the survey lists five banks that qualified in the lender categories: JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, eSecLending, RBC Investor & Treasury Services and Deutsche Bank.