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Hanwha General Insurance’s failed attempt at a tier two dollar bond last week shows that not all South Korean credits can win over investors, as the buy-side looks at the country’s insurance borrowers with a lack of enthusiasm and a healthy dose of scepticism. With more Korean insurers set to hit the market, it’s time they reassess their approach to fundraisings. -
Canada should have thought twice before stripping banks of their ability to use senior debt as an ordinary funding tool.
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The lengthy complaint about HSBC management drafted, purportedly, by investment bankers within the firm must be taken seriously and investigated, if its new CEO John Flint wants to win the confidence of the rest of the staff and shareholders.
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Europe already has a powerful tool to deal with banks that fail to show they have the proper risk controls in place — it’s called the supervisory review and evaluation process.
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The Catalan Treasury has dropped S&P as a ratings agency, citing cost savings — after all, it had four ratings (now three) when all it needed from a regulatory point of view was two. But S&P’s rating was the worst of those four, suggesting that ratings shopping — or in this case, ratings saving — is still a problem in the bond markets.
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The covered bond market has a reputation for allowing tough trades to be done, so when My Money Bank postponed its debut deal, the product was imprudently tarnished. The situation could have been avoided had the deal been launched a week earlier or sometime later — just not last week.
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It is high time that the famously conservative Japanese market started embracing new practices. There are signs that modernisation is afoot.
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Over the weekend, Harris County in Texas voted in favour of issuing bonds to pay for flood defences, a year after Hurricane Harvey caused terrible damage in the Houston region. It is part of a wider tussle over who bears the risk of catastrophes — and the capital markets are at the forefront of the discussion.
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It is misplaced to be relaxed about the speed with which banks are aligning their liability structures with regulatory requirements.
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Amid the chaos in Turkey, bankers are pitching bond buy-back opportunities to the country's beleaguered banks. Many argue that those in a position to take them up should be looked upon favourably by investors. The problem is, those investors might not even notice.
