Morgan Stanley took seven of The Banker's "Deals of the Year" for its work throughout 2008 with clients in Africa, the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. 

The award for best African Equity deal went to Morgan Stanley for the privatization of Kenya's top telecom firm Saraficom. "One of the standout successes of the deal was the ability of Morgan Stanley to attract such strong support from domestic retail investors," said the editors.

The Banker awarded Morgan Stanley with two "Deals of the Year" in the Americas:

the United Mexican States $2bn 10-year bond, the first Latin American sovereign bond issue since August 2008

the $7.55bn Verizon Wireless acquisition-financing loan to acquire Alltel, forming the largest mobile phone company in the U.S.

The Firm was recognized for its execution of the Asia Pacific Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Global Offering. "The terms and execution are impressive," said the editors. "A $4.5bn post-greenshoe was achieved in perhaps the worst market for financials since the depression of the 1930s and was priced at the most favourable terms for the issuer." 

In judging the European deals, Morgan Stanley was highly commended for its role as joint global coordinator on:

the $5.5bn New World Resources initial public offering - The IPO caught the eye of The Banker's judges for its complexity, with a triple listing in Warsaw, Prague and London, all in the respective local currency, which helped attract domestic and international, retail and institutional investors alike.

the $5.5bn FIG capital raising for Société Générale rights issue - The editors wrote "More than simply snatching a triumph from the jaws of adversity, the deal also set some important precedents for the process of recapitalization in the Western banking sector as a whole."

The final Morgan Stanley "Deal of the Year" award was for its role in the DH2.5bn five-year FIG capital raising for the Commercial Bank of Qatar. This was the largest internationally distributed offering out of Qatar to date and the first time a Qatari institution had issued a GDR. It was also the second largest GDR to be issued in the Middle East and North Africa in 2008.