France

Air Liquide’s relationship group received exclusive access to its $12bn bridge facility on Thursday, as the company resisted approaches by outsiders.

France is looking to lock in ultra-long dated funding in 2016 with its first syndication above 32 years since 2010.

A director has left Crédit Agricole in the latest of a string of departures from the French bank’s hybrid capital and liability management team.

France is expected to issue the second highest volume of covered bonds next year after Germany, but with redemptions exceeding supply, the overall size of the market will contract again in 2016. House prices are expected to stabilise next year after falling since 2011, but new loan origination will remain subdued, according to a range of predictions made by covered bond analysts.

Legrand, the French electrical fittings manufacturer, issued a €300m bond on Wednesday, carving out a successful trade in the face of frantic activity.

Eurofins Scientific, the French laboratory testing company, tried and failed to raise €339m of new capital in an overnight block trade on Wednesday night, despite the very strong recent performance of its shares.

Legrand, the French electrical fittings manufacturer, issued a €300m bond amid busy action on Wednesday, carving out its own success in the face of frantic activity.

Air Liquide and Saipem loans show that bankers and borrowers are not yet slowing down as they seek to tie up remaining bumper deals they launched in a busy fourth quarter.

Unédic and the Province of Quebec on Monday became the first issuers to print in euros since the European Central Bank disappointed market participants at a meeting of its governing council last week.

Vivalto Santé, the French private health service provider, has announced €228m of loans for its leveraged buyout by Mubadala Development Co, the Abu Dhabi Government owned investment and development company.

Agence France Locale printed its first bond denominated in dollars this week.

The European Central Bank’s decision to include local and regional debt in its public sector purchase programme is set to ease one sub-sovereign’s path to becoming an annual visitor to the public markets, according to its head of funding.