Germany

Dr Jörg Kukies, State Secretary for Financial Market Policy and European Policy at the German Federal Ministry of Finance, speaks to GlobalCapital’s Managing Editor, Toby Fildes, on Covid-19, European policy and Germany’s financial markets.

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Private debt markets in Europe have lost their sheen in the past few months. Having grown into attractive alternatives for companies looking to diversify from public and bank markets, the Schuldschein and US private placement markets were left by the wayside during the pandemic as borrowers went for quick cash instead.

Three borrowers hit screens in sterling this week, giving the currency its biggest workout for months. Two returned to the market to take advantage of a more advantageous cross-currency basis swap but a third is taking a strategic approach.

Market participants expect European banks to take a large chunk of funding through the European Central Bank’s Targeted Longer-Term Refinancing Operations (TLTRO III) programme, hitting covered bond supply levels. But issuance in other asset classes should remain unaffected as banks follow through with their funding plans.

Banks are likely to consider unusual issuance windows this year given the disruption caused by the coronavirus crisis. They could even be hard at work during the summer months, according to deal arrangers.

DZ Bank has signed up to the leading digital platform in the Schuldschein market, VC Trade. The German bank brings roughly 850 affiliated co-operative banks with it, which VC Trade’s founders believe is a game changer.

Two sovereigns pulled off successful deals on Wednesday, adding to the pile of syndicated European government bond issuance this week.

RAG Stiftung, the foundation set up by the German government to finance the discontinuation of coal mining in the Ruhr region, has issued a new €500m bond exchangeable into shares in speciality chemicals producer Evonik Industries, reopening the equity-linked bond new issue market in Europe after a lull since the end of May.

Deutsche Pfandbriefbank (PBB) has announced a tender offer for up to €250m covered bonds. Like Berlin Hyp, it has ensured that the affected deal will remain at benchmark size, but, in contrast to its peer, it is not planning a replacement issue.

After three eurozone sovereigns hit the primary market on Tuesday, more supply will follow on Wednesday with Germany setting its sights on its second syndicated transaction after returning to the format in May, helping it deal with a much bigger funding programme in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

PharmaSGP, the manufacturer of natural, non-chemical over-the-counter drugs, is on the road, in a virtual sense, with a an IPO that could reach €328.4m, which would make it the largest so far in Germany this year.