EFG Hermes, the leading investment bank in the Arab world, took home top honours as it was named Best Brokerage House in the Middle East at the Banker Middle East Industry Awards gala dinner held at Emirates Towers in Dubai. The ceremony brought together more than 330 industry experts. “This award recognizes EFG Hermes Brokerage’s unparalleled ability to serve the needs of institutional, high-net-worth and retail clients through technological innovation, high-touch service and best-in-class strategy,” said Sherif Cararah, Head of Brokerage at EFG Hermes. “No other regional brokerage provides direct access to as many markets as does EFG Hermes, and no other institution has as consistently proven its ability to both execute complicated transactions and access deep pools of liquidity to support equity raisings.” The annual Banker Middle East Industry Awards are designed to recognize banks and financial institutions that are pioneers in finance and have witnessed growth through these turbulent times. More than 4,500 industry professionals cast ballots for the seven institutions nominated as finalists for Best Brokerage House. In both 2008 and 2009, EFG Hermes Securities Brokerage was the top-ranked broker on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), according to data independently available from the region’s stock exchanges. Securities Brokerage also achieved high ranking on the NASDAQ Dubai exchange in 2008 and 2009. EFG Hermes Securities Brokerage provides direct access to markets including Egypt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Syria and Jordan as well as indirect access to other exchanges including Qatar and Morocco. The firm’s clients also have access to award-winning economic and equities research from the top-ranked research house in the region. Alfred Fayek, Managing Director of Equity Sales for MENA Clients, accepted the award on behalf of the Securities Brokerage team.