Europe

Figures from the banking sector and its regulators at the Institute of International Finance’s European Summit in Brussels this week attacked the severity of European rules on the capital that bank subsidiaries in host countries must hold.

CNP Assurances said on Thursday that it had picked banks to arrange the sale of a green tier two, adding its name to only a small list of financial borrowers that have sought to bring in green funding in a subordinated format.

Banks pride themselves on analysing and pricing credit. But are they really just slaves to the rating agencies?

Bond yields were in free-fall this week after the world’s two major central banks suggested they might ease their monetary policies further to prevent an economic downturn. With masses of global debt now yielding below 0%, some corporate and financial borrowers are standing on the brink of having to issue shorter term paper at negative rates.

Bankia sold its first senior non-preferred bond this week after the market rallied following a dovish speech from Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank. The issuance attracted a hefty book of €3.7bn, more than seven times its pre-determined size of €500m.

Rating: Ba3/BB/BB

European Central Bank president Mario Draghi on Tuesday may have set the course for primary bond markets in the near term but his organisation is at the heart of a project that could reshape them forever. The ECB spoke exclusively this week to Burhan Khadbai about the European Distribution of Debt Instruments (EDDI) project and what it means for the future of capital markets.

Rodenstock gets loan support after business turnaround — ICBC London mandates for Chinese green loan first — Nokia dials in ESG-linked loan — SVR Group builds on existing loan maturity — SCA goes local for bank loans

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Piraeus Bank offered hope to other Greek banks hoping to access bond funding by printing a tier two bond on Wednesday. It was the first Greek issuer to have sold a deal in this asset class since the financial crisis, getting hefty orders in the process.

The Russian Federation was set to increase its 2029 and 2035 dollar bonds on Thursday evening as the risk of further US sanctions against the country recedes and the prospect of lower of US interest rates increases demand for the debt. A $7bn combined book had been built for the taps.

One lone £350m bond, from Volkswagen Financial Services, crept into the European corporate bond market on Thursday, as a public holiday in parts of Germany left the euro market without a good chunk of its investor base.