Loans and High Yield

H4, a fintech firm which has received investment from JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Barclays and Linklaters, is giving capital market participants the chance to move document creation and storage into the 21st century, chief executive Joe Seifert tells GlobalCapital.

Virgin Media has been furiously active in high yield markets this month, clearing the way for its merger with O2 by redeeming existing bonds with obstructive covenants, and pushing out maturities ahead of the £6bn in new debt it will need to raise.

Private debt markets in Europe have lost their sheen in the past few months. Having grown into attractive alternatives for companies looking to diversify from public and bank markets, the Schuldschein and US private placement markets were left by the wayside during the pandemic as borrowers went for quick cash instead.

BNP Paribas has provided €40bn of loans to corporate clients in the eye of the Covid-19 storm, amid claims that rivals are retrenching. David Rothnie asks if balance sheet support will result in bigger corporate finance fees.

Carton manufacturer SIG Combibloc has refinanced much of its capital structure with a dual-tranche three and five year bond, moving to an unsecured debt package as it targets an eventual investment grade rating. The pricing reflected its crossover rating, with the shorter tranche sneaking under 2%.

Bonds of Unilever, the consumer goods firm, jumped on Thursday, despite it being a day of risk aversion in the markets, after it announced plans to merge its Dutch and UK entities. Unilever billed the move as simplifying its corporate structure to prepare for what it expects to be "the increasingly dynamic business environment that the Covid-19 pandemic will create" — as bankers predict industrial shake-ups will lead to mergers and acquisitions.

Norwegian cruise and ferry company Hurtigruten has raised a €105m three year loan through JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, ranking in line with its existing loans and paying 800bp. This follows an agreement on Monday to suspend the company’s leverage covenant and replace it with a cash covenant, an approach that lenders are increasingly using for companies facing sharp revenue stops.

Chinese online marketplace 58.com is seeking a $3bn loan for its take-private from the Nasdaq. The company is relying on Chinese banks to raise the money, but several told GlobalCapital Asia they were not interested. Pan Yue reports.

Chinese property companies continued to pile in to the dollar bond market on Wednesday, with Radiance Group Co and Powerlong Real Estate Holdings using up their remaining fundraising quotas.

The debt restructuring at China’s Peking University Founder Group is set to be a test case for offshore bonds backed by keepwell agreements, a structure often favoured by many mainland borrowers. The outcome of the restructuring looks set to influence the use of keepwell structures ─ and how these deals price.

Virgin Media announced its fourth high yield deal this month on Wednesday, tapping last week’s sterling vendor finance notes and adding a dollar tranche as well, with Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse back in the driving seat.

Tom Tailor, the German fashion brand, has signed a €100m loan guaranteed by the federal and regional governments. It has also extended its existing bank line, although the company says it will not be enough to stave off insolvency at holding company level.