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CIMB Securities Indonesia, a part of Malaysia’s CIMB Group, is bullish on its investment banking and securities businesses in Indonesia this year thanks to the country’s ratings upgrade and resilience against the euro zone crisis, its top executive told the Jakarta Globe.

“The euro zone crisis has had a muted impact so far on Indonesia’s flourishing economy, evidenced by the latest January 2012 export statistics,” said Bernard Thien, the brokerage’s president director. “We certainly hope this trend will continue. It is a testament to Indonesia’s strength and resilience.”

Bernard said several companies had appointed CIMB Securities Indonesia to help underwrite bonds so far this year, with total value of issuance at around Rp 2 trillion ($224 million).

Two of those companies are automotive financiers Indomobil Finance Indonesia and Astra Sedaya Finance, Bernard said. Bank Bukopin also wants to sell subordinated bonds, he added, among others.

“Selling bonds is a good alternative way for companies to raise funds nowadays. Investors have a huge interest in Indonesian assets,” said Bernard, whose 20-year financial market career includes stints at Citigroup Asset Management, Salomon Brothers and UBS.

A regulation allowing companies to file a single registration document with regulator authorities for multiple bonds issuances within a selected number of years has helped underwriters secure big deals, he said.

Last year, CIMB Securities Indonesia helped underwrite bonds for several companies, including automotive financiers Astra Sedaya Finance and Adira Dinamika Multi Finance and home lender Bank Tabungan Negara. Some were multiyear bonds.

In 2011, Bernard said, investment banking provided 30 percent of CIMB Securities Indonesia’s revenue, with the remainder coming from the company’s brokerage business.

Bernard said he was optimistic that the company’s online trading service and its association with the other companies of CIMB Group would help its brokerage business grow by 50 percent this year to 6,000 customers.

He said the company was making efforts to educate people.

“We have had a number of cooperations with IDX [Indonesian Stock Exchange], universities, and investment training and education colleges to raise people’s awareness about the stock markets, how it works,” he said.

CIMB Securities Indonesia has added six new features to its online stock trading service, he said.

According to Capital Market and Financial Institution Supervisory Agency (Bapepam LK) data, CIMB Securities Indonesia booked Rp 145.5 trillion in transactions last year, making it the second-biggest broker, after Credit Suisse Group.

“Transactions from the group helped us to book strong transactions. Volatility in the market caused by the euro zone crisis also increased the frequency of foreign investors to make buying and selling in Indonesian stocks,” he said.

Bernard said the broker’s analysts forecast the benchmark stock measure, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), rising to 4,450 this year.

The JCI closed up 3.2 percent at 3,821.99 at the end of 2011, extending 2010’s 46 percent gain. It closed on Friday at 4,015.95. Volatility in global financial markets is likely to continue to affect Indonesia’s markets as foreign investors remain the biggest players by transaction, market analysts say.

Singapore-based CIMB Securities Pte., the parent company of CIMB Securities Indonesia, is the investment banking and securities franchise of CIMB Group, which also has operations in Hong Kong, Bangkok, London and New York.