JP Morgan

Yankee banks ensured a record-breaking first half ended on a high, as European lenders took advantage of strong demand for tier two paper.

NRW.Bank’s inaugural social bond sparked a flurry of 15 year trades this week as a flattening French curve and the positive yields on offer helped spur on demand, with three issuers opting to follow the German agency’s successful trip to the maturity on Wednesday.

Uniqa Insurance has become the first European insurance company to take advantage of a change in the way in which S&P looks at capital quality, pricing a new short call tier two in euros on Thursday.

The 15 year tenor is the flavour of the week in the SSA market. Three issuers have mandated for deals at the tenor so far, following on from NRW.Bank’s successful trip to the maturity on Tuesday.

Ukraine was set to issue a highly anticipated bond on Wednesday, having started pricing with what some experts called "impressive" initial price thoughts. The deal follows one from Poland, which secured three year money at a negative yield in euros on Tuesday.

Royal Vopak, the Dutch oil and gas storage company, is marketing senior and subordinated private placements, according to market sources.

NRW.Bank signalled to the market that there is demand at 15 years with its inaugural social bond on Tuesday. Following the deal two other European issuers, Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten and Portugal, mandated for deals of their own in the tenor.

Weir Group, the UK engineering company, has signed bank lines totalling $1.19bn, but amid coronavirus-related market volatility, banks required a higher margin than on the deal being refinanced.

Berlin Hyp left ‘a little bit on the table’ with its new green covered bond on Tuesday. The trade was followed by deal announcements from Kookmin Bank and Sparebank Vest Boligkreditt, both looking to issue in sustainable format.

Assicurazioni Generali and Uniqa Insurance are each looking at selling tier two capital from their green bond frameworks, using a quieter period in the new issue markets to explore more complicated and multi-faceted transactions.

Redefine Properties, the South African real estate company focused on commercial properties, has completed a buy-back of its outstanding €117.2m 1.5% exchangeable bonds due 2021, as part of a wider restructuring of the firm.

Chinese property companies Times China Holdings and Golden Wheel Tiandi Holdings Co took a combined $470m from the bond market on Monday.