Cartoon

A book of more than €55bn for a €10bn bond priced with a new issue premium of 1bp would be a gratifying outcome for any sovereign issuer. But Wednesday's syndication for Spain instead attracted robust criticism over price moves during bookbuilding which derailed what was on course to be the biggest order book in bond market history.

Thiel Capital, the investment firm of billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel, this week launched its second southeast Asia special purpose acquisition company (Spac) in less than four months. The deal marks a coming trend in Asia-focused ‘blank cheque companies’, say bankers. Jonathan Breen reports.

Leading US financial institutions were quick to condemn the shocking attacks on the US Capitol on Wednesday — a sign that they are willing to take positions on important social issues, in line with the industry’s eagerness to align with good environmental, social and governance standards.

Latin American DCM bankers hailed Brazilian paper company Klabin’s first sustainability-linked bond (SLB) as an encouraging sign for the ESG debt market in the region, as a huge order book allowed the issuer to tighten by 55bp from initial price thoughts and land well inside its curve.

The Republic of Indonesia kicked off its 2021 bond issuance this week with a $3bn deal in dollars, split across 10 year, 30 year and 50 year notes, as well as a €1bn tranche.

As Boris Johnson embarks on a green industrial revolution, he has happened upon one of those rare moments when government policy seems completely aligned with investor appetite. The UK must use this capital markets sweet spot to transform its energy infrastructure next year and beyond.

Asia’s first blue loan has sparked debate among market observers about the potential of the asset class amid rising interest from borrowers for ESG-focused funding. While expectations are high for the blue loan market’s development in 2021, challenges remain, writes Rashmi Kumar.

Green bonds awakened the debt capital markets from their long, slumbrous ignorance of environmental peril.

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.

The Kingdom of Morocco sold a triple-tranche dollar deal on Tuesday, which bankers say was a successful attempt to enter into a rarely tapped market upon investors’ requests.

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena led a trio of speculative grade Italian banks into the euro bond market this week, as credit investors showed that no issuers were off limit in their increasingly desperate search for yield. Tyler Davies reports.

Jean Pierre Mustier's departure from UniCredit may help Italy in an attempt — shared by governments and supervisors around Europe — to push the banking sector to help solve economic policy problems during the pandemic.