Deutsche Bank announces expansion in Korea, reentry into Korean debt market

Deutsche Bank's logo is seen in this photo illustration made in March. Reuters-Yonhap

By Lee Yeon-woo

Adele Moon, head of Deutsche Bank's Debt Capital Market in Korea / Courtesy of Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank will expand its investment banking capabilities in Korea and reenter the local debt capital market (DCM), the global bank announced Monday. As part of such efforts, the bank has also made strategic appointments to its Korean business.

Adele Moon, the previous head of Korea Debt Capital Market (DCM) for Mizuho Securities Asia, has been appointed as the head of DCM for Deutsche Bank Korea. Based in Seoul, she will focus on expanding the bank's client footprint, complementing its strong advisory business.

The bank is reentering the country's debt capital market for the first time in five years. Since 2018, the bank effectively kept its hands off the market.

“We are pleased to reenter the Korean debt capital market. This is an important step that will extend our regional DCM presence to eight geographic locations and enable us to support a wide range of Korean clients in accessing global debt capital markets,” said Haitham Ghattas, the bank's head of capital markets in the Asia-Pacific region. “I am confident that Adele's leadership and expertise coupled with our strong local coverage will drive our business in Korea forward.”

The bank also hired Shinna Oh recently for its investment banking coverage team in Seoul, to further develop relationships with corporate and global sponsors. Oh joined from Credit Suisse and has experience working with Samsung Group, Hyundai Motor Group and Lotte Group.

Samuel Kim from Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong joined as the chairman of mergers and acquisitions for Asia-Pacific. The bank said Kim has extensive experience with Korean financial sponsors and conglomerates and will bring his deep relationships to the bank.

“We are confident in the opportunity that Korea holds and have expanded our investment capabilities accordingly. Our commitment to the country and growing our M&A franchise is reflected by the senior appointment of Samuel Kim, who brings deep knowledge of the Korean market to his regional role,” said Ahn Sung-eun, the bank's chief country officer for Korea.

Deutsche Bank has a 45-year history in Korea stretching back to 1978. The bank offers a range of investment banking services including financing, advisory, fixed income and currencies, as well as a focused equity capital markets business, in addition to the debt capital market.