Africa

The pace of emerging markets borrowers’ requests for official institution funding, amid the shocking deterioration of their bond markets, is picking up pace. On Sunday, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said that he had discussed using International Monetary Fund resources to fight the economic impact of Covid-19.

A strengthening dollar and continued volatility in the oil price on Thursday gave a further battering to emerging markets, increasing borrowers' vulnerability.

Sasol, the South African chemicals company, has unveiled a $6bn package of measures designed to shore up its business, which has been damaged by the spread of the Covid-19 virus and the collapse in oil prices.

As the deadly Covid-19 virus continues to wreak havoc on global markets and supply chains, emerging market lenders are proceeding to discuss financing options with clients, but are only comfortable funding those of the highest quality, according to bankers. Origination processes are becoming more stringent than ever, with some lenders requesting to see borrowers detailed contingency plans.

The recent fall in the price of oil is having a knock-on effect on non-core currency issuance. While oil dependent markets could take a hit as their currencies weaken, some net importers could benefit from a stronger currency and safe haven flows.

South Africa’s Standard Bank has issued a $200m green bond, which was bought by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in its entirety. The deal is the largest green bond ever issued by an African borrower.

Ghana Cocoa Board's latest entry into international capital markets has been faced with delays as a result of coronavirus, according to bankers. The deal, which was meant to close at the end of January, will now likely close within a few weeks.

Two block trades in Europe this week have shown that there is still a reasonable bid for some stocks, even during a global equity market meltdown, when many transactions have simply been called off.

The Arab Republic of Egypt is set to become the first Middle East or North African sovereign to sell a green bond. But there are no “obvious suspects” for a follow-on deal, according to those in the market. While green bond issuance is taking root among the region's other borrower classes, the format has yet to grasp the attention of governments for whom, some say, the challenge of being greener is proving too great, writes Mariam Meskin.

Stanbic IBTC Holdings, the Nigerian subsidiary of Standard Bank, has raised a loan of $150m from a consortium of international lenders, according to bankers. A number of African banks have come to market over the last 12 months, defying economic and country-specific risks to achieve attractive terms on their financing, a trend that is likely to continue.

The Arab Republic of Egypt has hired a group of international banks to arrange its debut green bond. Though the deal will be the first sovereign issue of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region, it adds to a string of green issuance from corporates and banks, which are developing a taste for ESG-linked debt.

Frontier market bond issuance dropped in 2019, with sovereign issuance at its lowest figure since 2011, amid signs that private-sector creditors are pulling back from riskier countries.