Banks

Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical company, has signed €8bn of sustainability-linked syndicated loans, while Italian natural gas distribution company Ascopiave has completed its own deal using the structure.

UK industrial and electronic products company Electrocomponents is financing a pair of acquisitions with a £180m capital increase.

Iren, the Italian utility, sold a €300m green bond on Thursday, being the only name to brave the markets on the same day as the European Central Bank meeting.

Southeastern Europe's Montenegro sold a euro bond on Wednesday which bankers say, especially because of its timing, is simply another sign of emerging market issuers being enticed by the strong credit conditions on offer.

HSBC returned to the additional tier one (AT1) market this week after a two year absence. It was marketing a dollar deal that it intends to use to fund the redemption of some of its outstanding preference shares.

LBBW has hired Buck Khim Sim to join it primary markets team as part of its strategy to build up its presence in Asia.

The battle for the UK security firm G4S is entering its final phase, with initial hostile suitor GardaWorld potentially upping its offer after Allied Universal said it had agreed to buy the target company for £3.8bn.

BPCE issued a transition bond this week to finance loans made by Natixis, its corporate and investment bank. The deal gave Natixis a chance to demonstrate the value of using a green weighting factor when allocating capital to new lending, as the mechanism helped the issuer select its assets and prove its own commitment to sustainability.

Sanofi, the French pharmaceutical company, has signed €8bn of syndicated loans, claiming to be the first large biopharma group to switch its syndicated bank lines to sustainability-linked metrics.

Vedanta Resources sold a $1bn bond this week, easing mounting concerns about its debt repayment abilities. The metal and mining company’s return was not easy, as it had to concede to a number of investor-friendly terms. Morgan Davis reports.

China’s Xiaopeng Motors, an electric vehicle (EV) maker, leveraged on a big boost in interest in new energy stocks from investors to raise $2.16bn from a follow-on offering of its American Depositary Shares. Jonathan Breen reports.

Chinese detergent maker Blue Moon Group has raised HK$9.8bn ($1.27bn) from its Hong Kong IPO, which saw a strong turnout from global and local investors.