Middle East

Emaar Properties showed there is a strong appetite for sukuk paper with its trade this week, joined in the market by Bank of Sharjah, which was able to raise $600m, setting the stage for a third Middle East issuer to tap the market next week.

Multilateral development bank Arab Petroleum Investments Corp (Apicorp) is eyeing up the bond market for a potential benchmark issue, while a green euro bond may also be on the cards for the Saudi-headquartered bank, according to Sherif Ayoub, chief financial officer.

Ratings, huh. What are they good for? Absolutely nothing — at least not when push comes to shove in the financing of Turkey's banks. Moody's downgrade to the Turkish sovereign and the country's banks in June sparked concern among syndicated lenders. But as another round of refinancings begins, pricing is tightening and banks are heaping praise upon their Turkish counterparts.

Kuwait's Warba Bank is embarking on a roadshow to market its first senior unsecured sukuk. The dollar five year note is expected to be printed “around the 3% mark”, according to a DCM banker on the deal.

The order book for Emaar Properties’ 10 year sukuk had hit around $1.85bn by Tuesday morning, but the issue size will be capped at $500m, according to a DCM banker on the deal.

Holders of the defaulted EA Partners bonds claim that Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi gave them implicit guarantees for the notes, which were issued to fund other troubled airlines. The bondholders, backed by restructuring advisers and corporate sleuths, are buckling up for a battle for their money. Karoliina Liimatainen reports.

This year’s second Turkish bank refinancing wave has started and borrowers are pushing hard for tighter pricing. Akbank is expected to set the benchmark for its peers by securing tighter margins on its upcoming loan refi.

Two CEEMEA issuers — one of which is a Russian corporate — have mandated for bonds and are heading off on roadshows, ending a barren summer for the asset class.

Global banks have been stepping up their pitches to win the mandate for oil giant Saudi Aramco's $100bn IPO during the second week of meetings, as competition heated up to win a spot on the on-again, off-again blockbuster sale.

Investors this week have again affirmed their confidence that Middle Eastern issuance will be the redeeming factor in emerging markets this year with a handful of names expected to raise debt, despite a challenging third quarter.

MEA-based waste management services provider Averda has amended and extended an existing term loan facility, garnering 70% oversubscription.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, Public Investment Fund (PIF), is close to finalising its second syndicated loan, which is scheduled for September. Margins are slimmer than on the borrower’s debut last year, according to bankers, though some in the market wondered if the fund will push even further on pricing before the deal is done.