Unicapital hails IPOs during pandemic years

Financial services firm Unicapital Group (Unicapital), the issue manager behind the initial public offering (IPO) of Citicore Energy REIT, the largest public offering in 2022, and the first and the largest renewable energy real estate investment trusts (REIT) IPO in the Philippines to date, hailed the roles of its experts and advisors in the success of several successful public listings at the height of the pandemic.

The company rallied behind the equity capital markets and further bolstered its commitment to aid regulators and stakeholders in pursuit of post-pandemic recovery via stakeholder education and overall private sector support through private and public fundraising efforts.

Unicapital’s leaders consider its core team of experts as the company’s strategic asset behind expert advice and forecasts in navigating several market challenges during Covid.

Unicapital Group President and Chief Executive, Jaime Martirez shared in a statement that its team of committed professionals helped steer the group through major headwinds as it treaded the economic and market challenges brought about by the pandemic, and provided best-in-class guidance and market analysis relevant to the business decisions of their valued clientele.

Veteran on effective solutions

“We [Unicapital] take pride in the ability of our core team to provide timely and tailor-fit recommendations. Beyond just numbers and figures, the members of the Unicapital Group’s team of experts and advisors are very much equipped with a strategic mindset and years of experience allowing us to craft and deliver innovative and effective solutions for our clients,” Martirez said.

Across three companies–namely, Unicapital, Inc. (UI), Unicapital Finance and Investments, Inc. (UFII), and Unicapital Securities, Inc. (USI)--the group leads the country’s independent financial services space, amidst a market dominated by both foreign investment banks and bank-affiliated investment houses.

Unicapital also served as co-underwriter of Alternergy’s P1.6 billion public offering last year. Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic and rising interest rates, Unicapital successfully brought about the listing of P3.7 billion Eastwest Bank’s bank bonds (2020), P750 million PH Resorts Group follow-on offer (2020), P600 million PH Resorts Group top-up placement (2021), P6.4 billion Citicore Energy REIT IPO (2022), P12 billion Unionbank of the Philippines stock rights offering (2023), P1.6 billion Philippine Business Bank Placement and Stock Rights Offering (2023), P1.6 billion Alternergy Holdings, Inc. IPO (2023) and provided support to the P1.6 billion Merrymart IPO (2020), P14.7 billion Double Dragon Meridian Park REIT IPO (2021) at the height of the pandemic.

The company also played important roles in the P10 billion Unionbank of the Philippines stock rights offering and the P6 billion Double Dragon Corporation first tranche bonds during the first seven months of this year.

“For the past 40 years up until today, we continue to uphold our role as a partner in creating a financial ecosystem that is safe, secure, and accessible, even to smaller industry players like small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and individuals. Our successes in issuing and advising IPOs in the recent past amid a global threat and economic challenge that is the COVID are manifestations of foresight and expertise, as well as stability as an investment house. This demonstrates our commitment and support for the growth of the private sector, and to encourage and develop investment practices across different sectors,” Martirez said.

As a definitive action, Martirez added that the company has been proactive in stakeholder education on stock investing and the capital markets, and supports regulators in such efforts.

The company, moreover, continues to innovate and future-proof, and puts prime importance on valuable talents, upskilling, and diversification of product and service offerings to expand its current customer base.

“We are an independent player within the very big Philippine financial services ecosystem; our backgrounds as shareholders and leaders vary widely. We are not backed by banks; this necessitated and consequently established the group’s agile, flexible, and innovative approach to our daily operations and client engagement,” Martirez added.

“Our high regard for these traits is our competitive edge–fully-constituted within our culture and DNA, and manifested through diversity in industry expertise, adaptability in responding to our stakeholders’ varied needs, and the continuous pursuit towards forward-thinking strategies for the group and for our customers. We look at opportunities, and we look at impact–to Unicapital, to our clients and our investors in the long run,” Martirez, emphasizing on the group’s key competencies, indicated.