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The contingent convertible (CoCo) bank capital market received all the plaudits on Wednesday, when Banco Popular Español was forced into a “rescue” by Santander.

We’ve all had our moments of celebrating a bit too hard and imbibing a tad too much. Normally, the worst that happens is a rough morning in the office the next day. But for a friend of mine, a few cheeky drinks proved disastrous.

Talk of a ‘21st Century Glass-Steagall’ is swirling around Washington and Wall Street. What this might mean in practice is hazy, but the phrase Glass-Steagall is plainly a powerful political talisman.

Banco Popular Espanol’s covered bonds barely reacted to credit stress afflicting bonds further down its capital structure ahead of the Spanish lender’s resolution on Tuesday evening. This may have illustrated the effectiveness of the Covered Bond Purchase Programme (CBPP3) but also showed confidence in the asset class, the regulator and the Spanish banking system.

GCC debt markets are experiencing their first big wobble since gaining prominence as the most prolific issuers in CEEMEA, and no one saw it coming. The recent Qatar-related sell-off is both a stark reminder that EM assets are not a one-way bet, and highlights the vulnerabilities of a debt market fuelled largely by local bank demand.

A German company, of implied investment grade, can waltz into the Schuldschein market, expecting shrinking margins, and a bulging order book. A foreign issuer’s journey is more complicated, and much more costly. For the Schuldschein to be the cosmopolitan darling of international private placement markets — German issuers must lose their home advantage.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange has tied up with Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp to launch a new platform to facilitate IPOs by technology companies. It may only be a small step towards the city’s dream of being an international hub of tech investment, but the move matters for a bourse that has struggled to lure high profile tech listings.

Just as the country’s prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, met with Donald Trump on a US tour, Vietnam’s equity capital markets were repeatedly in the news over the last few weeks, with a flurry of IPOs and new listings, heralding that issuers there may finally be coming of age, writes columnist Philippe Espinasse.

Last week brought big talk from the European Commission, which raised its head from the technicalities of Brexit or the latest round of regulatory standards to lay out a vision for the financial future of Europe. But even with the last round of elections landing on the pro-European side, it has an uphill struggle ahead.

In this week's round-up, the People’s Bank of China says it will maintain a neutral monetary policy, Silk Road Fund and European Investment Fund sign memorandum of understanding for Belt and Road financing, and Luxembourg holds international renminbi forum.

In this week’s round-up, the Hong Kong Exchange’s USDCNH futures record their second best trading volume on Wednesday, renminbi deposits in Hong Kong increase by 4.1% in April, and China and Germany agree to co-operate on trade and finance.

The market for socially responsible investments is flourishing, but only at the top. Corporate and emerging market borrowing, which the world sorely needs, is still conspicuously scarce. Financial innovation is required to broaden participation.