OREANDA-NEWS. December 28, 2009. Renaissance Capital, the leading investment bank in Russia/CIS and Sub-Saharan Africa, and Kotak Investment Banking, India's premier investment bank, announced that the two companies have entered into a co-operation agreement for cross-border mergers and acquisitions advisory between the emerging markets in which they operate.

The alliance is already operational and will play an active role in the growing cross-border investment flows and M&A activity between India and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Africa. The partnership leverages Renaissance Capital's unique market-leading franchise in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and across Africa as well as its unparalleled expertise in the resources industries, particularly mining and oil and gas, with Kotak's strong advisory capabilities, long-standing corporate relationships and in-depth local knowledge of the Indian market.

Renaissance Capital and Kotak have blue chip client bases in their respective core markets and complementary cultures focused on combining in-depth local knowledge with world-class execution capabilities.

Stephen Jennings, CEO of Renaissance Group, said: "In 2010 and beyond, we anticipate unprecedented cross-border deal flow among the emerging markets, and this prominently includes transactions between Indian and Russian companies as well as between Indian and African companies. In the resources sector, Indian companies are actively seeking to acquire energy and mining assets in the CIS and Africa. Correspondingly, India's fast-growing economy offers huge opportunities for companies from our geographies. Combining two powerhouses in emerging markets investment banking, the alliance between Renaissance Capital and Kotak Investment Banking is ideally positioned to take advantage of, and indeed accelerate, these trends."

Uday Kotak, Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank, said: "We are pleased to announce this agreement with Renaissance Capital focused on cross-border M&A advisory on the India-Russia and India-Africa corridors. As Indian companies evaluate their growth and expansion strategies, we anticipate strong interest in strategic M&A opportunities in these two markets. The alliance with Renaissance Capital, a well-respected and recognized leader in investment banking, is in line with our strategy of forming partnerships with leading global partners to grow cross-border opportunities for our clients."