During 2008 NBB kept the growing pace noticed in the past years at several levels.

• Expansion of the network
• Increase of the closed transactions and opportunities portfolio

The efforts in growing our international expansion have materialised in 4 new country masters
• Angola
• S. Tomé e Principe
• Romania (3 offices)
• Turkey
The new masters will bring an additional strength to NBB and its specific network with 41 offices in 16 countries.
At the same time, we increased our presence in Spain with 4 new offices, Cape Verde (Cidade da Praia), Brazil (Sao Paulo) and Portugal (Lisbon and Leiria).

NBB’s balance in 2008 for Mergers & Acquisition activities was positive with a 20% increase in comparison with the previous year. NBB was advisor in buying and selling of SMEs of various industrial and activity sectors, accompanying the clients during several phases of the transaction process in technical matters (development of business plan, definition of a strategy, opinion of value, etc.) and negotiation definitions (searching the best solution for the company and stockholders).

Operations with private equities are still in process, with the goal to enter our client’s companies to make them grow faster. It is expected to close these transactions successfully in 2009.

Our objective is to identify continuously new opportunities to be for cooperation with this kind of investors.
In fact, the fast globalisation of the economy and the quick increase of the commercial, financial and capital markets bring new challenges to the companies.
The highly competitive landscape in which companies work, make them re-orientate their growing strategies continuously, so they can turn weakness in strength, and threats in opportunities, especially in a today’s difficult times.

Growing by Mergers & Acquisition, internationalisation, the search of financial or strategic partners are more and more tactical options and critic factors to achieve a good positioning in the emerging global market. NBB is specialised in these strategies, and as reference partner and expert in M&A and transaction support, we are a most valuable cooperation partner for the companies that want to keep growing.

NBB’s strategic plan for 2009 is to focus on concentrated operations, benefiting from the fragmentation and negative perspectives that lead to the loss of competitiveness of the companies.  It is NBB’s goal to increase build-up strategies, and strengthen the SME’s position that we consult, by tracing private equity funds and economic groups with growing strategies by acquisitions.

NBB manages at the present a portfolio of 4 billion Euros in selling operations, capital expansion, acquisitions, mergers, etc.

In short, NBB pretends to proceed with its growth strategy, enjoying the strong dynamics of the merger sector, and the business opportunities resulting from the current economic crisis, keeping the win-win situation in the continuous establishment of partnerships. 
This growth will come by entering new markets, and by the consolidation of the actual markets, both reinforcing NBB’s leading position.