Alantra, a leading independent global financial services firm focused on the mid-market segment, announced a significant enhancement to its Spanish Investment Banking division with the inclusion of Ignasi Portals as the new Managing Director in Barcelona.
Ignasi Portals joins Alantra with a wealth of experience exceeding 25 years in the banking sector, primarily garnered through his tenure at Banco Santander. At Santander, he undertook various leadership roles, both in Barcelona and Madrid, where he led business and risk teams with distinction. Over the last seven years, Portals spearheaded Banco Santander’s Corporate & Investment Banking operations in Catalonia, playing a pivotal role in advising numerous significant transactions across the region. His expertise spans a broad range of financial services, including corporate structured finance, real estate, leveraged buyouts (LBOs), and project finance, where he has been instrumental in both financing and advisory capacities.
Alantra’s Investment Banking team in Spain, now further strengthened by Portals’ arrival, is comprised of over 40 dedicated professionals specializing in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), debt advisory, restructurings, and equity capital markets (ECM). This formidable team has successfully completed more than 115 deals in the past five years, demonstrating a robust track record. The team offers comprehensive services across various domains, including equity and debt capital markets, M&A advisory, debt advisory, restructuring, Credit Portfolio Advisory, and Structured Finance Asset-Backed Securities (SFABS).
In recent months, Alantra has advised on several notable transactions, such as Audax Renovables’ €66 million HoldCo financing for photovoltaic projects, Grupo Planeta’s €100 million private placement, the formation of a joint venture between Neinor Homes and AXA Investment Managers, the sale of Roca’s Tile Division to Lamosa S.A.B., and a pre-IPO capital increase for ID Energy shareholders, among others.
Javier García-Palencia, CEO of Alantra Investment Banking Spain, expressed his enthusiasm about Ignasi Portals joining the team, highlighting the move as a testament to Alantra’s commitment to bolstering its capabilities in the Spanish mid-market. García-Palencia particularly noted the strategic importance of Catalonia in this expansion, given its diverse landscape of family-owned businesses and entrepreneurs in key sectors such as technology, healthcare, hospitality, and food and beverage, where Alantra has significant expertise.
