Foreign and local demand shifts bond-loan balance

The drop in oil prices in 2015 prompted Middle Eastern goverments and companies to rethink operations — pulling back on some projects, gobbling up reserves and adjusting subsidies. GCC international bond issuance took a hit as a result — last year $20.8bn was printed, down from $26.3bn in 2014. Looking forward to 2016, some issuers have announced more bond market issuance to fill funding gaps, others less as they brace for slower growth. At GlobalCapital’s roundtable, held in Dubai on January 26, representatives from companies, banks and goverments gathered to discuss how best to navigate demand and tap new pools of funding, as well as the changing attractiveness of the bond and loan markets.