Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)

Top tier Turkish lender Akbank will launch a syndicated loan refinancing within weeks, according to sources. The borrower is likely to get tighter margins than for its last loan offering in October 2020.

Throughout these uncertain times, UniCredit is providing a point of reference for the CEE, thanks to our strong commitment to supporting clients and the region.

UniCredit’s Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) division was aware of the threat of Covid-19 early on, and took decisive measures to mitigate its impact.

Polish social and mobile gaming company Huuuge will price its Warsaw IPO at Z50, the top of the initial range, valuing the business at Z4.6bn ($1.2bn), according to sources close to the transaction.

Mass arrests following protests in Russia over the last two weeks in defence of opposition leader Alexei Navalny have increased the likelihood of US sanctions on some of the country’s leading figures. However, market experts say that new sanctions would be unlikely to cripple the country’s markets, as they have done in the past.

Ukraine is facing delays in securing funding disbursements from the IMF, as questions around the authenticity of its anti-corruption drive cloud discussions between the country and the Fund. That may push Ukraine to tap the bond markets again, which last year welcomed it a number of times.

Jason Channell, Head of Sustainable Finance, Citi Global Insights examines the broad understanding of environmental, social and governance factors, how these have become a mainstream economic concern, and how sustainability policy is impacting supply chain finance.

RBI follows a “profit-with-purpose” business model with explicit alignment of its activities with social, environmental and economic responsibility. We help develop sustainable economies and support our customers’ transition to zero carbon activities.

Rating: B2/—/B+

Rating: A3/AA-/A

At this year’s Central & Eastern European Forum, Société Générale hosted the workshop titled ‘CEE central banks’ balance sheet expansion: a necessity or a risk?’. The speakers were Radoslaw Cholewinski (deputy head of fixed income at Pekao TFI), Martin Dolejs (portfolio manager, pension fund and insurance portfolios at Allianz), and Zoltan Aroksallasi (FX and rate strategist at Erste Bank), and I thank them for their insight, their knowledge, and their time. By Marek Drimal, EMEA Strategist, moderator of the workshop.

The IPO of InPost, the Polish provider of postal lockers, soared on its first day of trading on Euronext Amsterdam.