Germany

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.

The coronavirus crisis may have hit overall covered bond supply prospects, but it has provided a silver lining for some banks — such as Credit Suisse, ING and Commerzbank which have all fared well in the covered bond league tables this year.

Angus Whelchel, who was global head of private capital markets and a managing director at Barclays, has left the bank, according to market sources.

Berlin Hyp has launched tender offers on four of its euro covered bonds in an effort to optimise its funding costs and provide liquidity to investors. The issuer also plans a new long dated covered bond.

Rating agency Scope beat many European agencies to the punch in adopting new covered bond rating methodology in 2015, which is today considered a standard approach. But the European Securities and Markets Authority (Esma) is fining the agency on the grounds that it failed to apply it consistently and with the regulator’s permission.

Two foreign issuers and a red-chip company tapped China’s onshore renminbi bond market this week, taking home Rmb6.2bn ($875m). Two more red-chip borrowers are waiting in the wings, with their deals slated for next week.

Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, Deutsche Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group this week sourced environmental, social and governance senior funding in euros, amid a shortage of supply in the format.