Europe

Rating: A2/A+/A

Austria took centre stage in the euro sovereign bond market this week with the sale of its first ever four year benchmark alongside a new 50 year deal to complete its curve.

Banks are optimistic that sustainability-linked bonds have a bright future as part of their funding toolkits, after Berlin Hyp became the first financial institution to land a deal in the format this week. More trades are already on the way and market participants are stepping up their efforts to break down the remaining barriers for FIG borrowers.

Equity and debt markets were fretting on Thursday over the implications of new US sanctions against Russia. A prohibition of US investment in Russian sovereign bonds marked an escalation in tensions, threatening sovereign borrowing costs. It could also damage Russian companies’ chances of funding in the capital markets, write Mariam Meskin and Sam Kerr.

The relentless flow of special purpose acquisition companies coming to the market is causing unease among investors about market saturation, with $140bn raised so far this year. Only the highest quality sponsors are likely to succeed in bringing new Spacs to IPO from now on, writes Aidan Gregory.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey on Thursday held its key interest rate at 19% despite fears that new governor and low interest rate champion Şahap Kavcıoğlu would cut rates. But despite the policy move, investor anxieties remain.

A widening in the basis swap between three and six month Euribor and a recent rise in yields have improved the attractiveness of covered bonds for a proportion of investors. But for many others, bonds that trade well through swaps in the secondary market are only fit for the European Central Bank.

Italian asset manager Anima Holding sold €300m of senior debt against a quiet backdrop this week, having decided to target the popular seven year tenor.

Canal+ Polska, the Polish satellite TV network, has rebooted its IPO on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, after the deal was pulled in November last year due to a lack of demand.

Ukraine is once more at the forefront of emerging market investors' worries as military tensions with Russia escalate. Amid the uncertainty, Ukraine is fighting another uphill battle to access IMF funding in order to recover its economy as soon as possible. The governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, Kyrylo Shevchenko, spoke to GlobalCapital about the challenges the country is facing and the importance of central bank independence.

Equity capital markets participants seem focussed on the IPO market after Easter, but bankers are looking to do more primary equity raises for their clients in order to fund corporate growth and acquisitions. Bankers are hoping that they will soon be able to build on the momentum of what will likely be the largest European ECM transaction of 2021.

The University of Surrey has issued a US private placement, according to market sources, less than a month after King’s College, London returned to the market. Institutional investors are regaining confidence in the UK’s higher education sector, after a year in which revenues shrank and student intake became uncertain.