Commerzbank

Euro investors are sniffing around further out along the SSA curve, with Euratom returning after a two year absence to print a 10 year bond earmarked to fund power plant safety measures in Ukraine, while the Treasury Corp of Victoria tapped demand past the 30 year point.

KfW made a strong return to the benchmark green bond market on Tuesday, taking advantage of a more attractive pricing dynamic for green bonds over conventional issuance compared to earlier in the year.

KfW will lead the charge in the euro public sector bond market on Tuesday with a €3bn green bond that will match its biggest ever deal in the format. Eurofima and the State of Berlin are also preparing to bring bonds to the euro market.

Germany is calling for bids for state-owned Depfa Bank, the once prolific issuer of Irish and German covered bonds whose parent, Hypo Real Estate, was taken into public ownership as a result of the 2008 financial crisis. There is little chance, however, that the transaction could see the issuer return to the covered bond market.

Commerzbank’s future strategy is up in the air after it was announced that its chief executive and chairman would be leaving after its “5.0” strategy received a poor welcome.

Crédit Agricole Assurances (CAA) added to the subordinated deal flow in the FIG bond market on Tuesday by launching a tier two bond. The French insurer benefitted from the rarity of its appearances in primary markets, and the large deal size meant that although the issuer paid some premium, it "did not leave much value on the table", according to a lead manager.

NRW.Bank’s inaugural social bond sparked a flurry of 15 year trades this week as a flattening French curve and the positive yields on offer helped spur on demand, with three issuers opting to follow the German agency’s successful trip to the maturity on Wednesday.

Syndicate bankers are scrambling to make sense of the covered bond market, where sentiment has been changeable in recent weeks. Amid volatility and small issuance windows, sustainable bonds have proven a safe strategy to ensure successful deals.

The 15 year tenor is the flavour of the week in the SSA market. Three issuers have mandated for deals at the tenor so far, following on from NRW.Bank’s successful trip to the maturity on Tuesday.

NRW.Bank signalled to the market that there is demand at 15 years with its inaugural social bond on Tuesday. Following the deal two other European issuers, Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten and Portugal, mandated for deals of their own in the tenor.

Berlin Hyp left ‘a little bit on the table’ with its new green covered bond on Tuesday. The trade was followed by deal announcements from Kookmin Bank and Sparebank Vest Boligkreditt, both looking to issue in sustainable format.

Agence Française de Développement hit the market twice this week, taking advantage of the absence of competing supply to pick up cash in euros and dollars. Thibaut Makarovsky, head of funding and market operations at the agency, discussed the deals with GlobalCapital.