Erste Group Bank

The positive market backdrop has driven smaller and less well-known bank issuers to come forward with rare new bond issues. But they are showing up just as investors pack up for the year, meaning they must work hard to lure enough demand, writes David Freitas.

Dekabank was quick to launch a preferred senior bond on Thursday, garnering 2.5 times the demand it needed for its €500m print by mid-morning in London. The German lender only ended up paying a small new issue premium to its investors.

Montenegro came to market on Thursday for its first ever 10 year bond. Demand for the euro deal proved strong enough for the issuer to raise €500m and allowed the leads to set the yield roughly flat to fair value.

Bawag was keen to alert investors on Tuesday to the imminent sale of its first non-preferred senior bond, which is expected to fit neatly alongside a similar deal from its Austrian peer Erste Group.

Hungarian gas and oil company MOL has extended part of an existing €555m revolving credit facility by one year, in what is one of the few sparks of activity in the country's syndicated loan market so far this year.

Acciona, the Spanish infrastructure and renewable energy company, appealed to investors with its green, triple tranche Schuldschein offering, which closed last week at €155m.

Romania entered a crowded euro bond market on Tuesday, with 12 and 30 year papers. The deals may be among the last euro issues from the emerging markets before the summer lull.

Motability Operations Group, the UK company that operates the UK government's scheme to provide cars for the disabled, printed a £1.438bn-equivalent euro and sterling three tranche bond on Wednesday, in a busy day that also brought a €1bn two part issue from OMV, the Austrian oil and gas company.

CTP, a commercial real estate developer based in Czech Republic, has signed a €1.9bn loan in one of the largest real estate packages to enter the syndicated loans market in central and eastern Europe ever.

The Republic of Croatia launched its €1.5bn 10 year bond on Wednesday afternoon in London from a book of €6.4bn at a level 7bp inside of fair value, according to a lead manager on the note.

Spanish infrastructure and renewable energy company Acciona has returned to the Schuldschein market with a €150m-minimum triple tranche transaction. As lenders begin to loosen lines to Italy and Spain, arrangers said there may be more borrowers from those countries to come.

Slovenska Sporitelna is planning to market its first internationally syndicated Aaa-rated euro covered bond, which could be sold in benchmark size. The expected deal follows Slovak Vseobecna uverova banka’s (VUB) €500m five year which was one of the best performing trades this year.