Rand Merchant Bank, while based in South Africa, has offices in a number of other countries including the United Kingdom, where it operates as a division of FirstRand Bank Limited (London Branch).
From our London base, we leverage off our expertise and relationships in South Africa, the African continent and India to provide relevant and effective financial solutions for our clients. In addition to foreign exchange and money market dealing and hedging, we assist our clients with direct and indirect financing to facilitate their international capital requirements and provide investors with an array of major currency investments for their bespoke diversification needs.
Our solutions are especially suited to:
- African corporates and international corporates with African interests — foreign exchange, interest rate hedging, trade finance, long- and short-term funding solutions, in both local currency and US dollars or euros;
- International investors — unique African assets in local and major currencies via innovative structuring, supported by local expertise and locally-based research.
The London Branch has a dedicated team covering the interests of the wider FirstRand Group within the European Union. We are a rand (ZAR) specialist bank and have a proven track record in the African markets. We offer the following services to our UK and European clients:
- Access: We strive to be “Bankers without Borders”. The Group covers a broad range of banking activities throughout Africa, with the London Branch having direct access to these markets.
- Expertise: RMB is recognised as a pre-eminent investment bank in Africa, with significant coverage and exceptional talent in our chosen core markets and geographies.
- Flexible and appropriate to you: We offer a wide range of innovative solutions individually tailored to our clients’ specific needs.
- Treasury: The UK has a dedicated team covering Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities (FICC) and Trade Finance.
- Fixed Income — Access to a full range of fixed income products from vanilla to structured debt, including derivatives;
- Currencies — We offer a comprehensive range of products and advice for our corporate and institutional clients covering:
- FX Spot (all major traded currencies, ZAR and many other African currencies); and
- Forward Contracts (all major traded currencies and ZAR).
- Derivatives — A broad range of option-based products, from the vanilla to bespoke structured solutions, to meet our clients’ requirements;
- Commodities — Active in all major commodity markets. Providing focus, industry expertise and an international network to ensure clients receive relevant and cost-effective products and services; and
- Structured Trade and Commodity Finance — Offers a range of services including cross-border structured trade.
- Corporate advisory: The Corporate Finance team is a market leader with a combination of UK, European, African and other international advisory experience.
- Market information: Regular research publications, providing insightful reading into the African markets.
- Exceptional skills: The team consists of highly skilled and experienced individuals.
- Strong relationships: We leverage off our strong relationships both in Africa and internationally for the benefit of our clients.
- Full branch status: Our UK and Indian operations have full branch status, maximising the opportunity for UK and European clients to participate in the Indo-Africa trade corridor.