John Neblo has joined Investec as head of structured cross-border finance for the Americas based in New York.

Neblo joins the bank from the Private Export Funding Corporation (Pefco), the specialist capital markets funder, and before that ran ABN Amro’s structured trade business for the Americas.

Investec’s team, led by Chris Mitman in London, is focussed on transactions in power, aviation and rail – both as advisor and arranger – in regions including Sub-Sahara, Europe, North America and Australia.

Neblo is expected to help grow the group’s activities significantly including with the Americas-based trade and development agencies.

GTR has heard from industry sources that Mark Paton from ANZ may also shortly be joining Investec as regional head in London. The bank is in discussions with a number of senior bankers for other roles globally – specifically in South Africa.

This expansion by Investec follows their emergence as a specialist player in the export finance market. Recent deals of which GTR is aware include an EKF-supported biomass project finance in Northern Ireland, the sale and leaseback of four Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets for Air India and an ECIC-backed debt package for a power project in Mozambique in which they are also developer.