Australia

JP Morgan has appointed two new co-heads of investment banking coverage for Australia and New Zealand, according to an internal memo seen by GlobalCapital Asia.

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) issued its first post-merger Kangaroo bond on Tuesday, raising A$350m ($234.9m) — becoming the first Middle Eastern bank to tap the market in two years.

Lloyds Bank and National Australia Bank issued two very well received Sonia linked sterling covered bonds this week, taking advantage of demand spotted in a deal issued by Royal Bank of Canada last week.

Moody’s Investors Services has beefed up its coverage of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, naming a veteran analyst as its first global head of ESG.

The UK's National Grid followed up early January’s well-received green bond debut with a pair of green bond MTNs from a subsidiary, printing in currencies it rarely visits.

Two supranationals hopped into the Kangaroo market with environmental, social governance (ESG) bond taps this week, in a move that is becoming increasingly popular. With a local holiday this weekend marking the end of antipodean summer, bankers expect Australian dollar issuance to restart in the next few weeks.

Macquarie Group has appointed Charles Yonts as head of Asian ESG research, a newly created position.

Resolute Mining, the Australian gold miner, has raised A$196m (£103m) via a transcontinental capital increase to repay a bridge loan used to fund its acquisition of Toro Gold in August last year.

The first Kangaroo deals of 2020 from SSAs started trickling through this week, after ANZ blew the doors off the Australian dollar market with a A$3.5bn ($2.4bn) self-led domestic deal on Tuesday.

I love a good story about the days gone by. I remember when liquid lunches were not just accepted but encouraged. My best ideas often came after downing martinis over a long lunch. But a recent story from Australia makes my wild days of boozy work meals look quite tame.

Danakali, an Australian potash company, has raised a $200m credit facility from African lenders. Proceeds of the syndicated facility will go towards funding the planned Colluli potash project in Eritrea.

For public sector issuers, niche currency deals have offered attractive opportunities for arbitrage funding, with spreads into euros and dollars spurring on demand this year. Meanwhile, strong investor appetite for green paper has seen niche shoots blossom throughout 2019. Frank Jackman reports