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The concept behind the European Secured Note was never genuinely driven by a desire to improve bank funding options, but by a need to ring-fence the quality of assets in covered bonds.

France may be top of the world in football but the country’s equity capital market is starting to look a bit second division.

Hong Kong’s summer typhoon season was the bane of my existence during my working years. Running between meetings in torrential rain, having umbrella wars on crowded pavements, finding out a T8 signal has been raised only after you get to the office: none of it was much fun.

With African bond volumes set to hit an all-time high this year, it would be easy to interpret the record-breaking number as an indication that investors are set to stand by Africa as a storm hits EM. But that would be wrong — EM investors largely think that African bonds are going to tank, or at least struggle, it’s just that they are all betting on getting out first.

Populist politicians challenging their central banks and blaming foreign businesses for their country’s woes is not normally something investors expect from the United States, but President Trump forces investors to think about political risks which are far more common in emerging markets.

The UK Debt Management Office was once again the darling of BondMarker voters with its latest sterling syndication, but there was also a strong performance for a series of dollar deals that came in the same week.

Regulators water down wealth management product (WMP) rules, Donald Trump calls China a currency manipulator as his treasury secretary ramps up the pressure, and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) pushes USDCNH options trading volumes to a new high.

The research chief at the People’s Bank of China got into a rare war of words with the finance ministry, regulators push banks to lend to small businesses and buy lower-rated corporate bonds, and the securities watchdog appoints a new head for the international department.

Chinese lender ICBC partners with a German lender to finance Belt and Road projects, Tradeweb prepares to make Bond Connect trading more liquid, and China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) starts consultation on introducing two-year futures for Chinese government bonds.

M&A volumes across the EMEA region have soared to multi-year highs according to various reports released this week, and loan volumes in certain regions have rocketed with it. But the big headline figures belie a syndicated loan market that is limping towards year end.

Senior investment bankers jumping ship to fintech firms, often to advise them on their financing plans, has become a relatively common theme in Asia. But one former banker appears to have taken this to a whole new level.

With Lloyd Blankfein, arguably Wall Street’s most successful CEO, stepping down, Goldman Sachs is ready to face up to a new challenge. Fortunately for David Solomon, his replacement, the bank’s unique model is working properly again.