Free content

The pandemic led to an astonishing surge in the issuance of social bonds this year. But for it to develop further, there needs to be a dedicated investor base, a more diverse range of issuers and a clear understanding of what is meant by social finance. Burhan Khadbai reports.

Bank capital has gone back under the microscope during the coronavirus pandemic, with policymakers asking themselves whether the Basel III rules can work as intended. Tyler Davies reports.

Nobody will forget 2020 in a hurry. It was the year in which a coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe, created economic chaos and forced central banks into swift action. The resulting measures helped to underpin financial markets, bringing yields from record highs in March to record lows in December. But the outlook has always remained uncertain for banks and insurance companies, whose balance sheets are yet to feel the full impact of the crisis. In such a testing year, GlobalCapital wanted to reward the bond deals that achieved stand-out results for issuers — in terms of pricing, execution and timing. The winners are presented here.

Bank financing deals are expected to be on the low side in 2021, thanks to the provision of cheap, easily accessible central bank funding and high deposit inflows. Even so, regulatory funding is requisite and covered bonds will still provide an imperative source of long term funding, writes Bill Thornhill.

Despite funding stresses in certain Latin American countries, bond markets will continue to help the region with its financing needs. For now, this eases the pressure for reform and fiscal consolidation, but issuers must eventually face up to political and social turbulence. Oliver West reports.

Debt was the answer to every problem in 2020, as companies tried to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Dusty revolving credit facilities that had never been touched were fully drawn, firms begged from governments, those that could flocked to the bond market. Now, with hope of the crisis easing, there is an awful lot of debt to clear up. Mike Turner reports.

Corporate finance in 2020 was utterly without precedent. Never before had so many once-stable firms seen revenues evaporate instantly, with so little visibility on when the world might recover. Companies did whatever they could to hang on, pulling every lever available to source scarce cash. As 2021 begins, so will a new phase, where the fallout of the Covid rescue playbook becomes clear. Owen Sanderson reports.

There could be more large restructurings in Europe in 2021 than ever before, as companies seek sustainable capital structures after 2020’s rash of emergency financing. But it’s also a new horizon for the laws that govern restructuring, as countries replace a patchwork of dated and difficult insolvency regimes, and the UK exits the European Union, ending automatic recognition of its court rulings. Owen Sanderson reports.

European equity capital markets could be in for a bumper year, after the historic disruption of 2020. Sam Kerr reports.

Having lagged behind bonds in embracing the green agenda, the primary equity capital market came into its own in 2020. With investors more engaged in sustainability and fighting climate change, there are hopes that 2021 will be even greener. Sam Kerr and Aidan Gregory report.

Convertible bonds have thrived during the pandemic, as companies rushed to raise capital to shore up their damaged balance sheets or to take advantage of the opportunities for growth that the crisis has unexpectedly created. Meanwhile, investors who bought in have been rewarded with strong returns. More of the same is expected in 2021. Aidan Gregory reports

As countries across Europe tighten coronavirus restrictions in the run-up to Christmas, the European Central Bank saw fit to relax its ban on dividends on Tuesday and pave the way for resumed payments in 2021.