Latin America

Isaac Deutsch, who led Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation's Americas specialized finance division between 2012 and 2018 before becoming the firm's deputy Americas CEO, is said to have departed from the bank earlier this week.

As bondholders eagerly await details of a rescue package from Brazilian development lender BNDES to the three largest airlines operating in the country, the strongest credit in the sector coming into the Covid-19 crisis is now the perceived as the weakest.

Decisive economic measures from Ecuador’s government could help curry favour with bondholders ahead of a debt restructuring, said analysts, as Argentina provided an ideal template of what not to do.

The president of Grupo Energía de Bogotá (GEB) told GlobalCapital that the issuer’s faith in demand for its bonds had allowed it to tighten pricing sharply on its long-awaited return to bond markets last week, as the company waits for an improvement in domestic market conditions to continue its capital markets activity.

Analysts expect negotiations between Argentina and its foreign bondholders to continue past May 22, the date that the sovereign could enter default, with restructuring proposals from the creditors implying recovery values up to 50% higher than what the issuer initially proposed. But as both parties appear to be keen to find a solution, the bonds continued their rally on Monday.

Latin American development bank Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) began investor calls on Monday as it looks to sell a benchmark-sized euro denominated social bond to help fund its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

ACI Airport Sudamérica, the operator of Uruguay’s largest airport, has received consent from its bondholders to delay a year of debt payments to help it through the Covid-19 pandemic — just weeks after creditors of its Argentine sister company achieved the same.

Argentine authorities were understood to be weighing up debt restructuring proposals from several bondholders on Sunday evening as default looms large for the South American sovereign.

The Province of Buenos Aires (PBA) legally entered default this week amid pleas from its creditors for serious restructuring negotiations. But Argentine sovereign bondholders are still holding out hope that they may come to an agreement with the national government.

Holders of Avianca’s international bonds are keenly watching the Colombian government’s next move after the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York.

Argentina’s turnaround under former president Mauricio Macri turned out to be a castle built on sand. But as the country heads towards default, the slick execution of its bond market fairytale between 2016 and 2018 could show the Fernández government how to handle investors.

Central American sovereign Belize, which last restructured its international debt in 2017, is likely to seek to delay a $13m coupon payment due in August on its only external bond, believes Moody’s.