Australia

Toronto-Dominion Bank launched the first Australian dollar covered bond of the year on Thursday night, issuing in good size at a similar spread to where it recently issued its dollar covered bond.

Credit Suisse has appointed Mark Carlile as vice-chairman of investment banking and capital markets for Australia, and Angelo Scasserra as co-head of the division.

Schroders has appointed new heads for Asia Pacific, tapping Chris Durack and Susan Soh to the top job.

Asia’s sustainability-linked loan market has expanded further with a real estate investment trust raising funds linked to the global real estate sustainability benchmark (GRESB), a first for the region.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is to start quantitative easing for the first time, it said on Thursday, while earlier this week the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) slashed rates and the New Zealand Treasury set out plans to increase its bond market borrowing.

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.

A window for Kangaroo issuance opened this week, as a positive move in the Australian dollar/euro basis swap helped rouse a slumbering market that had not seen a deal for a fortnight. In spite of unstable conditions, SSAs entered the market on Monday and Tuesday, with a trio of regular borrowers tapping six lines for a combined A$575m ($364m).

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on Tuesday slashed rates to a new low of 0.5% in response to the financial impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. As Aussie dollar rates move lower, the introduction of quantitative easing is on the cards.

Credit Suisse has hired a head of environmental, social and governance equity research for Asia Pacific, a newly created position at the bank.

A pair of Australian sub-sovereigns have made their debuts in the euro market in recent days. An attractive basis swap helped to encourage issuers to sell into unusually strong demand for long dated euro paper.

Sydney Airport has become the first borrower to issue a sustainability-linked US private placement.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China turned to the Australian debt market on Monday to raise A$500m ($336m) through its Sydney branch.