Latin America

Mexico’s deputy finance minister Gabriel Yorio told GlobalCapital on Wednesday that a block of Latin American countries was forming to ensure that the plight of middle-income economies was not forgotten as the world looks for ways to alleviate financial pressures on developing countries.

Mexico on Tuesday became the second Latin America sovereign to use the 20 year US Treasury bond as a benchmark for a new issue, initially raising $2.5bn of 2041 notes to finance a tender offer. Later in the evening, the sovereign said it would likely increase the size of the 2041s to $3.26bn, with holders of old bonds set to switch into the new notes.

Latin American oil and gas company GeoPark may return to bond markets in the near future as it looks to finance a tender offer for up to $255m of its $425m of 6.5% senior unsecured 2024s.

Automotores Gildemeister, the distributor of Hyundai cars in Chile and other South American countries, is set to file for bankruptcy with the support of its bondholders after missing a coupon payment on its $510m senior secured 7.5% 2025s on April 1. The process is set to reduce the company’s debt by $200m, said the issuer

Empresas CMPC, the Chilean pulp and paper producer, priced a sustainability-linked bond inside its curve on Wednesday, leaving no doubt that Latin American issuers can still garner a material pricing benefit from ESG debt, even as emerging market bonds feel the pressure from US Treasury volatility.

Suriname said on Wednesday that it had provided its bondholders with the data and reassurances they had requested, before extending the deadline on a consent solicitation that would grant the government additional debt relief while it negotiates an IMF deal.

Chile’s head of international finance said that the sovereign’s debut in the Formosa bond market this week was a natural continuation of the diversification of its funding sources, as Asian investors bought more than half of the government’s $1.5bn 32-year sustainable bond. The government has now issued green, social and sustainable notes in international markets.

Just over two months after it last issued internationally, Chile returned to primary markets on Tuesday with a sustainable Formosa bond. The deal was the second ever Formosa from a Latin American sovereign and comes as Chile makes efforts to diversify its funding sources.

Argentina’s largest province, Buenos Aires, has extended the expiry date on its debt exchange for the 14th time. But unless the province makes important improvements to the terms, the offer has no chance of success.

Empresas CMPC, the Chilean pulp and paper producer, began investor meetings on Monday ahead of a proposed sustainability-linked bond (SLB) that investors say is likely to attract strong demand as long as the volatility seen in rates market on Monday does not worsen.

Grupo Bimbo, the Mexican food company that says it has gained millions of new customers during the pandemic on the way to posting record sales and Ebitda, will prepay $600m of global bonds maturing in 2022 using proceeds from a bank loan.

Two Mexican corporates — real estate investment trust (Reit) Fibra Uno and leasing company Operadora de Servicios Mega — re-opened bonds on Thursday as supply trickles into the Latin American primary bond market. But only Fibra Uno was able to tighten pricing from initial price thoughts.