Japan

The Development Bank of Japan will kick-off a series of investor calls on Thursday for its first sustainability bond under its freshly updated framework, which includes assets related to its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fédération des Caisses Desjardins du Québec (CCDJ) mandated leads for its first dollar covered bond in a year on Monday. The issuer joins Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, which on Monday crystallised plans to press ahead with its debut deal following a period of soft marketing, while Swedish non-conforming lender Bluestep Bank commenced marketing on Monday.

Mizuho Financial Group will be looking to time the sale of a new senior deal very carefully this week, with euro market conditions still proving challenging for issuers.

Covid-19 has fundamentally changed how the world operates — and capital markets are no exception. In Japan, it has shown the potential of the bond market to serve the common good.

The Bank of Japan has used every implement in the monetary policy toolbox to try to kick-start the economy. Does it have any tricks left to fight the impact of the coronavirus? Matthew Thomas reports.

The Covid-19 pandemic has spurred a shift in Japan’s socially responsible investment (SRI) bond market, which has long supported green deals but is now turning its focus to other environmental, social and governance products.

What impact has Covid-19 had on Japan? The answer is complicated. No major economy has done so well at containing the spread of the virus — or so badly at limiting the economic fall-out. William Pesek reports.

The Bank of Japan has long been the driver of yields in the government bond market. It has increasingly become a key player in corporate bonds as well, creating opportunities for issuers and investors alike.

Japan’s banks have faced multiple crises over past decades, but the coronavirus pandemic has thrown out some fresh surprises — and could challenge their future growth, writes William Pesek.

Samurai bonds have taken a big hit this year due to Covid-19, with deal volumes slumping by more than 75%. This has not only tested the resilience of the market — but also raised serious questions about its long-term prospects.

This week in Keeping Tabs: what scientists still don't know about coronavirus as we grapple with a second wave, ESG index funds outperformed in the first half of the year, and Japan's currency challenge.

Nissan Motor made its debut in the European bond market on Friday with a €2bn deal that investors would have liked larger and differently shaped, just a day after it had issued its first ever foreign currency bond, for $8bn.