BNP Paribas

The US corporate bond market continued to crank out investment grade deals despite fears of a global recession battering risk assets this week.

The UK’s Peabody Trust has signed a £75m sustainability-linked loan from BNP Paribas, as competition for UK housing association lending ramps up.

Germany’s Dürr has signed a €750m sustainability-linked loan using blockchain technology, as the mechanical and plant engineering firm continues its push into sustainability refinancing that started with a green Schuldschein.

GlobalCapital has published the nominations for its Sustainable and Responsible Capital Markets Awards. The winners will be announced on September 17, at our Awards Ceremony in Amsterdam.

SNCF Réseau steamed ahead with a new century bond issue this week, its second and largest deal to date, amid declining rates that has seen more and more investors take a risk at the ultra-long end in return for yield pick-up.

German agency KfW is “open to further business in [both] Singapore and Hong Kong dollars” as it looks to expand its recently updated green framework. Last week, the agency made its green bond debut in Hong Kong dollars, placing a two year private placement on August 2.

Big banks and boutiques alike are ramping up operations to boost revenues in France, Europe’s most competitive investment banking market. But is there enough business — and talent — to go around? By David Rothnie.

Belgium’s Fagron has signed a €375m sustainability-linked credit facility, with the healthcare and pharmaceutical supply company aligning the margin of the facility to greenhouse gas emission reduction.

International investors this week enthusiastically bought a $500m ‘sustainable transition bond’ issued by Marfrig, the second biggest Brazilian beef producer. The deal highlighted its efforts to make its supply chain more sustainable. But Greenpeace, the environmental NGO, argues it is impossible to be sure the supply chain does not include harmful practices.

Central China Real Estate and Shandong Chenming Paper Holdings have raised a combined $463m from dollar bond investors amid a weak market backdrop.

The latest idea captivating sustainable finance enthusiasts is transition bonds.

Marfrig Global Foods, the Brazilian beef producer, has stirred up the green finance market by issuing a $500m ‘sustainable transition bond’. To some, it is a template for a new asset class that can help finance the global economy’s shift to lower carbon emissions. To others, it is a shocking case of greenwashing. By Oliver West and Jon Hay.