Germany

Deutsche Pfandbriefbank could take advantage of a quiet backdrop in the euro FIG market to launch the first deal from its green bond framework.

Sparebanken Sør Boligkreditt’s covered bond drew more demand than competing deals issued by Berlin Hyp and Royal Bank of Canada on Tuesday, thanks to its more generous spread, shorter duration and favourable liquidity treatment.

German software company TeamViewer launched an inaugural Schuldschein deal on Monday, with margins linked to its ESG performance. Five new borrowers have entered the Schuldschein market so far this year, almost half as many as appeared throughout the whole of 2020.

Lidl, the Germany-headquartered budget supermarket chain, has entered the syndicated loan market to raise cash from Asian lenders for a second time, according to market sources.

BPCE found good demand for a two-part covered bond on Monday with the bonds pricing almost flat to its curve. Even so, the near term outlook has become less certain as German lockdowns are expected to be tightened amid renewed concern over the impact on commercial mortgages secured in some Pfandbrief.

Commodities trading giant Trafigura has launched a Schuldschein which, due to its poor credit profile and high intended yield, is a clear outlier in the market, while some bankers are surprised that such a large company would try to raise such a small loan.

Hamburg Airport has pulled a Schuldschein transaction with an initial target of €100m, according to several market sources, due to a lack of interest from investors.

The European Court of Auditors published an assessment of the EU’s crisis management framework this week. It urged policymakers to align national insolvency procedures with bloc-wide resolution rules, as a way of making sure that banks are treated consistently when they fall into financial difficulty.

Royal Bank of Canada priced its first bond issue of the year as Yankee borrowers made the most of good funding conditions in the run-up to US bank earnings season.

German automaker Volkswagen sold a Rmb500m ($77m) offshore renminbi (CNH) bond on Thursday, just one-and-a-half months after its last outing in the currency.

Guarantor: Federal Republic of Germany

Tight valuations in euros are making it difficult for banks to impress investors with new senior trades. Issuers may have to pay up or switch focus to other asset classes to make the most of the January market.