This was a fine sentiment from the LMA chairman to introduce a showcase of the best achievements of the industry over the last year, but two other Latinate expressions were clear from the night and reflected in Boehm’s words: the loan market also flows with camaraderie and passion.
Or, in their German form: kameradschaft und leidenschaft.
The scene was set at London’s Guildhall on Wednesday by our choice of entertainment. Singing waiters – Italian, French and cockney – took the dinner guests by surprise but did not find them wanting for spontaneity or panache.
It was not long before the room was awhirl with swirling red napkins and filled with enthusiastic voice. This was a night to recognise excellence but also to drop one’s guard in esteemed company, to reveal one’s passions. It’s very clear that the loan market is one in which people – be they banker, borrower, or investor – get along and feel at home with each other.
It is important to remember this, at a time when regulation aimed at stamping out collusion in the broader banking sphere risks suffocating the discourse that gives the loan market its spark. This is a sphere in which everyone benefits from working towards a better understanding of each other and strengthening their relationships.
Loan Ranger of course hopes that GlobalCapital can continue to help facilitate this arrangement. The unveiling of our Loan Awards themselves further revealed that loan bankers can be both humble in victory and magnanimous in their praise for competitors, even when they don’t win themselves. How times have changed!
It is still possible to donate to the Down's Syndrome Association, the designated charity of our event this year and a great cause. If you wish to do so, please visit the Loan Syndicate Managers Forum's fundraising page on JustGiving, which can be found here.
