​Award-winning Research division broadens coverage universe to more than 170 equities, to reach a record high of c.63% of MENA market capitalisation, receiving first place ranking in 2017 Institutional Investor EMEA Poll and 2nd place in Extel EM survey (Cairo, Egypt) — EFG Hermes, the leading financial services corporation in the MENA region, has recently launched coverage of Vietnamese banks, 11 Egyptian small and mid-cap stocks and introduced economic analysis on frontier markets, including Pakistan and Kenya, with the number of regional equities covered now reaching over 170 for the first time in the firm’s history.  The core strength of EFG Hermes Research is manifested in its ability to respond rapidly to the significantly increasing demand for new investment ideas and strategies amidst the ever-changing dynamics of the region and its economies. The Research team’s commitment to diversifying and developing its product offering has propelled the division to the top of the leader board on Institutional Investor’s 2017 EMEA Investor Poll, the most prestigious global institutional investor ranking platform in the industry. EFG Hermes Research also came in second on the globally acclaimed Thomson Reuters Emerging Markets Extel Survey. “Consistently placing in the top ten in some of the world’s most important research surveys is a testament to our high quality standards, integrity, and the firm’s overall focus on innovative products – a key component of our Group strategy,” said EFG Hermes Group CEO Karim Awad. “I’m very proud of the results that our Research Division has achieved on both the group and individual levels, with three of our analysts ranking in the top 10 among more than 170 analysts covering the MENA region in the Extel Survey.” Over the past period, the Research division has been developing its business model, with particular emphasis on accommodating global trends, such as retail client appetite for institutionally-structured research products and increased global investor interest in frontier markets. Commenting on the recent expansions, EFG Hermes’ Head of Research Ahmed Shams El-Din said, “Investor interest in frontier markets has been growing over the past five years due to low interest rates in developed markets and slow growth in emerging markets, coupled with improving political and economic conditions in frontier markets.” The division was also able to successfully predict and accommodate new investor appetite for small and mid-cap stocks. Initiating coverage on these new companies has expanded EFG Hermes’ coverage to c.63% of regional market capitalisation from c.58% in under a year.  “We are very pleased that our ability to forecast market trends and investor preferences has been well-received among our clients who voted to rank us first in this year’s Institutional Investor EMEA Survey and runners-up in the Thomson Reuters Extel Survey of Emerging Markets research houses,” said Shams El-Din. “We will continue to hire the finest talents in our contextual markets and grow our on-the-ground presence across different geographies, in accordance with the firm’s ambitious expansion strategy,” he added. By end of 2017, the Research division is planning to increase its coverage to reach 70% of market capitalization; covering 220 equities, in both, emerging and frontier markets across the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.