Barclays

Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo has opened books for a convertible bond backed by its American Depository Shares, in what has become an increasingly popular corner of the equity-linked market.

Lead managers had to step in to help Nederlandse Waterschapsbank (NWB) raise €500m with a 15 year water bond on Monday, though a banker on the deal said that there had been strong demand for the transaction from ESG investors.

Verallia, the French maker of bottles and jars, has begun bookbuilding for its €962m IPO, which will be the largest flotation in France more than two years.

Guarantor: Federal Republic of Germany

Investors stormed into the euro public sector bond market this week fired up from the announcement of a new comprehensive stimulus package by the European Central Bank last week.

While it is no surprise that a public sector borrower has brought the first floating rate note linked to the euro short term rate (€STR), it was a surprise that a small German agency would bring the inaugural transaction, especially as it is some weeks before the European Central Bank (ECB) is due to begin publishing the recommended new risk-free rate.

It has been an explosive week in the sterling market, with foreign and domestic names raising £2.9bn of debt on the back of £13.05bn of combined demand in the space of just three days. But there are more big tests for sterling funders in near future, with a bond market comeback for the UK’s Metro Bank being chief among them.

Adani Transmission, the Indian power transmission firm, has launched a US private placement, according to several market participants, in a debut set to test institutional investors’ appetite for Indian risk.

Small cracks started to appear in the euro corporate bond market on Thursday, after a busy month, as companies launched a spate of deals. An already bulging pipeline means there will be little time for the market to catch its breath.

China National Chemical Corp (ChemChina) is seeking lenders’ consent to amend terms of a $5.5bn dual-tranche loan sealed last year, as it undergoes a debt restructuring, according to bankers.

Barclays has become the second financial institution to issue an additional tier one (AT1) in the sterling market this week, supported by a quiet backdrop in UK politics and healthy investor demand. The issuer was 7.5 times subscribed for its £1bn deal.

Wells Fargo hasn't wasted time in the bond market this week. It launched a euro senior bond on Wednesday, a day after raising sterling debt. Concurrently, Spanish lender Kutxabank was marketing a senior non-preferred bond in euros, its debut in the format.