HSBC

Woori Bank opened books to its first dollar bond this year on Wednesday, January 14, as the South Korean lender was encouraged by the relatively successful outcomes of compatriot Export Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) earlier this week.

Indonesian automobile consumer financer Federal International Finance (FIF) signed a $225m loan in December. The syndicate for the loan, which was led by HSBC and Mizuho and came with a guarantee from the Japan Bank for International Co-operation, consisted entirely of Japanese lenders.

Copper manufacturer Zhejiang Hailiang is planning to meet investors this week for what could be the first dim sum bond out of Asia this year.

Gas Natural, the Spanish gas and electricity company, issued a €500m 10 year bond on Tuesday, attracting €4bn of orders and paying a minimal new issue premium.

Virgin Media expects its leverage to remain within levels set by its parent company Liberty Global, after it raised a £925m-equivalent bond to finance a merger with another subsidiary, UPC Ireland.

Demand was robust for floating rate paper on Tuesday as Commonwealth Bank of Australia sold its first deal of 2015 and Caisse Centrale Desjardins du Quebec (CCDJ) returned to the senior unsecured euro market after an absence of almost five years.

State-owned coal supplier China Shenhua Energy is making its first foray into the international debt market in style by opening books to an ambitious triple tranche offering on January 13.

Export Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) staged a successful return to the international debt market on Monday, January 12, selling a SEC registered dual tranche deal that drew over $6bn of demand. Amid high levels of volatility seen since the start of the new year, bankers carefully chose a good window for the Korean issuer, who achieved both its size and pricing goals.

Kaisa Group Holdings announced on January 12 that it has failed to pay a $23m coupon on one of its bonds, marking it the first time a Chinese real estate developer has defaulted on offshore debt.

After the extraordinary fireworks of Santander’s €7.5bn block trade on Thursday January 8, the year’s more workaday business in European equity capital markets began in earnest on Monday, as five IPOs were launched.

GE Capital issued an €850m five year floating rate note and a €1bn seven year fixed rate bond on Monday, bringing total public issuance by the company so far this year to over $7.1bn.

Telecom Italia, Italy’s largest telecommunications operator, on Monday brought to the high yield market the first €1bn issue of the year, as part of a plan to repay slices of four other bonds.