Africa Loans

Standard Bank is set to raise at least $500m by the end of the year, the latest in a series of loans raised by South African banks in the past few months. The deal is expected to have tighter margins than its previous deals, according to market sources.

Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) has closed its annual refinancing, securing a $1.3bn facility from a range of international lenders. The facility, Cocobod's second international borrowing this year, has tighter margins than last year's round, illustrating a healthy appetite for one of Africa's most frequent borrowers.

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Rand Merchant Bank International Mauritius (RMBIM) has secured a $400m syndicated loan from international lenders, months after a transfer of dollar debt from FirstRand Bank. The deal marks the latest in a series of loans raised by South African banks this year.

Lagos-headquartered Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has debuted in the Samurai loan market, raising a $150m-equivalent loan from a consortium of Japanese lenders. The deal is one of two Samurai loans signed by African borrowers in recent weeks.

The dual currency $303m-equivalent loan, which marks Africa Export-Import Bank's (Afreximbank) second entry into the market, is the largest ever Samurai loan raised by an African issuer.

Australian potash company Danakali will raise a $200m credit facility from lenders in Africa. The syndicated facility will go towards funding the planned Colluli potash project in Eritrea.

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Fitch downgraded its credit outlook of deeply-troubled South Africa on Friday, but loan bankers, both in and outside the country, are confident that a lack of primary EM supply and an established banking sector will keep margins tight and lenders attracted. At least for now.

Harmony Gold, a South African gold mining company, is in the market to raise $400m to refinance existing debt. The deal is being led by domestic lenders Absa Bank and Nedbank, according to bankers.

Ghana Cocoa Board, known as Cocobod, is likely to close its annual loan refinancing in September, and bankers expect it to have tight margins.