Europe

NLMK Group, one of Russia’s largest steel manufacturers, is planning a return to the bond market after a two year hiatus.

While some emerging market loans bankers have noted an uptick of activity since a painfully slow January, those covering Russia are still patiently awaiting news of concrete transactions. But an imbalance between supply and demand has put international lenders in an awkward position, forcing them to rethink their strategies.

CYBG is set to meet investors this week to gauge demand for a new additional tier one. With HSBC Holdings also selling a senior bond in dollars on Monday, UK financial institutions are returning to the market for the first time in four months amid fading fears about a worst case scenario for Brexit.

Fears that MiFID II is demolishing coverage of smaller UK companies appear to be misplaced, according to research firm Hardman & Co, with analyst numbers actually on the up. But not everyone agrees with that assessment. Meanwhile, market participants think that liquidity is decreasing, despite what the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) says, and this could boost private equity interest in these small firms.

Cadent Gas has sold £680m-equivalent of US private placements (US PP) across several tranches, in dollars and sterling, according to market participants, in one of the largest PP transactions from a UK utility on record. This is evidence that PP investors are not shying away from UK names, market participants claim, even amid the uncertainty of Brexit.

This week's funding scorecard looks at the progress of Europe's supranationals and agencies at the end of February.

Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall (BSH) could soon become the first German Building Society to issue a benchmark Pfandbrief. GlobalCapital speaks to Rainer Eichwede, head of finance controlling at BSH, at the 13th LBBW European Covered Bond Forum in Mainz.

Theresa May’s decision this week to allow Parliament to vote on extending the Brexit deadline by three months has split the UK capital markets down the middle. Bond bankers are cheered and believe UK issuance is likely to rise — but equity deal originators see it as another three months of stagnation, with IPOs all but impossible. Jon Hay, Sam Kerr, Tyler Davies and Aidan Gregory report.

Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, warned politicians on Thursday not to roll back banking regulations established in the wake of the financial crisis, as she highlighted a spike in financial pay. She also discussed ways of making finance more sustainable in its outcomes, and how fintech could improve inclusivity.

Rating: Baa1/A-

David Malpass, US candidate for the World Bank presidency, has serious weaknesses and lacks experience, according to a former chief economist at the multilateral lender.

Dollar swap spreads tightened dramatically in the middle of the week — with bankers at a loss to explain why — but the SSA sector was still “rock solid” in one syndicate head’s words, so the currency should be open for business next week. The only two dollar trades this week — a bond market return from CDP Financial and first deal of the year from Erste Abwicklungsanstalt — both went well.