Deutsche Bank

Deutsche Bank has hired Stephen Paine as global head of infrastructure and utilities, a new role at the bank.

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) has mandated four banks to arrange a non-deal roadshow that is set to begin on October 6.

Altice, the fast-growing French cable telecoms investment group, raised €1.61bn of new capital today (Thursday October 1) with an intraday accelerated bookbuild, to finance its acquisition of Cablevision, the US cable company.

EDF has expanded its investor base into Taiwan with a $1.5bn bond, the first time a European issuer has bought a dollar bond to the Formosa market.

UK property firm Hammerson has signed a €1bn revolving credit facility to buy a €1.85bn loan portfolio from Ireland’s National Asset Management Agency.

Banks have rarely been considered paragons of virtue, but never have they been as vilified as they are today. After the bail-outs, a seemingly endless procession of misconduct has left ethically-minded customers holding their noses while reaching for debit cards. But against the backdrop of scandal and suspicion, banks are doing more than ever to demonstrate to customers that they are doing the right thing. Owen Sanderson reports.

The socially responsible investor base is growing nicely, as is its diversity in terms of geography and types. But growth could be about to hit warp speed as governments and regulators wake up to the sector. Craig McGlashan reports.

With only $25bn of green bonds issued so far, volumes of SRI instruments in 2015 are a little disappointing. Predictions at the beginning of the year that $100bn of green bonds would be issued in 2015 are likely to be wide of the mark, with many now saying the end of year total could struggle to match 2014’s $37bn. But few in this developing market are downhearted, preferring to see 2015 as a year of consolidation and necessary adjustment as the product reacts to poor general market conditions and begins to mature. In fact, despite the low volumes, progress is being made. The issuer base is beginning to expand beyond the confines of the public sector, as more banks join the list of issuers. Emerging market companies are also turning to the market, such as Brazil’s BRF with a €500m deal in June. Meanwhile, the investor base is growing in a healthy fashion, with Barclays and Deutsche pledging to invest £1bn and €1bn respectively in green bonds. As for 2016, expectations are that volumes will bounce back, with companies and municipalities leading the charge, along with more banks and emerging market issuers from Latin America. These topics and many more were discussed at GlobalCapital’s SRI roundtable in New York in mid-September.

From wind energy to improving inadequate education systems, there is no lack of need for SRI financing in Latin America. LatAm may be unlikely to see the rapid emergence of a mainstream green bond market, but there is no shortage of invention or hard work across the region to ensure it is not left behind. Oliver West reports

The year 2015 has seen important progress in the field of green bond investment in Asia, with the emergence of two big new markets — China and India. For its Tokyo roundtable, GlobalCapital invited a panel of issuers, investors, analysts and bankers to discuss the trends in the sector and the potential for development as new markets open up for the asset class across the region.

Corporate and FIG green bonds had a breakthrough year in 2014 and there have been several deals already this year. But with banks facing a flood of new regulations and the cost of reporting putting some corporations off the idea of printing green bonds, the two sectors face challenges not endured by SSA issuers. There are, however, still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the future of corporate and FIG green bonds. GlobalCapital brought together corporate and FIG funding officials, bankers and green bond experts London for a roundtable discussion on how 2015 has fared — and what 2016 will bring.

US automotive components supplier BorgWarner is looking to issue its first notes in euros, and could be followed by others as the European market leaves behind memories of the Greek crisis, say bankers.