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The sovereign, supranational and agency bond market in 2025 featured a number of innovative debuts, bringing new issuers to this most venerable of asset classes. Meanwhile, some of its biggest names priced stellar deals, breaking records and pioneering new formats even in volatile markets

The most senior debt capital markets bankers across the Street appear to be an optimistic bunch heading into 2026. In GlobalCapital’s survey of the heads of DCM, Ralph Sinclair discovers upbeat expectations for volumes, pay and hiring and asks how tech is reforming the business

The Australian dollar bond market’s growth has propelled it to be the third most important funding currency for some international bond issuers. Its ability to offer investor diversification and arbitrage funding is attracting an increasing number of issuers from spread-conscious SSAs to banks and companies seeking strategic capital, write Sarah Ainsworth and Atanas Dinov

Banks are engaging in increasing amounts of M&A. UniCredit’s pursuit of Commerzbank is the biggest long-running saga in the sector, but elsewhere banks are picking each other off and adding to their portfolios with regulation, falling interest rates and EU efforts to deliver a single market the main drivers, writes Arthur Bautzer

Artificial intelligence is everywhere — but what is it doing? Capital market specialists think about it constantly, even if only because they are told to, with feelings ranging from delight to horror. Market participants are exploring myriad ways both to use AI, writes Jon Hay, and neutralise its risks

EU politicians talk enthusiastically about making the bloc more competitive, but so far, its capital markets have struggled to match the efficiency of the US. Whether it can meet the booming demand for data centres will be a defining test of its ambitions, write George Smith, Chadwick Van Estrop and Thomas Hopkins

Technologists have convinced the European Central Bank and most financial firms that the bond market needs blockchain. Exactly what for is harder to define. Still more difficult is actually introducing it — although as Jon Hay reports, many believe the moment has come

This year, the outstanding volume of the Sukuk market exceeded $1 trillion for the first time. H.E. Dr Muhammad Al Jasser, President of the Islamic Development Bank, explains that this market is now integrated into global finance, promoting sustainable investment and transparency

GlobalCapital is pleased to announce the shortlist for its inaugural MTN Awards

◆ Simplification plans boggle banking boffins ◆ Hungry, hungry hyperscalers to push utilities into bond market ◆ A loan in the sand: private credit jostles for place in Middle East debt markets

Broad political support for EU giving Esma more powers means NCAs must adapt

Best deals, banks, investors, advisers, law firms and tech providers of 2025