Middle East

Books were nearly $2bn for the UAE's Union National Bank’s return to the markets on Wednesday With issuance from UAE banks limited thus far, the 20bp-25bp starting premium offered good value, according to one EM banker.

Turmoil in Turkish bond markets put a dampener on Monday’s open after Moody’s junked the sovereign's credit rating. But with activity in the Middle East and, after a two year absence, Nigeria, the stage is set for a busy few weeks in EM.

Vakifbank’s €500m five year covered bond has rallied after Moody’s cut its rating and those of five other Turkish covered bond issuers. The move implies that the rating downgrade has not delivered a fatal blow to prospective Turkish supply.

The Middle East bond floodgates have finally opened but with Bahrain hitting the road this week and Saudi Arabia's deal looming, supply concerns have prompted Oman to reopen its dual tranche tap at “eye-wateringly wide” levels.

Some Turkish banks will have to pay an extra 25bp on loans after Moody’s downgraded 14 borrowers on Monday, triggering ratings ratchets. Vakifbank signed a loan refinancing just hours before Moody’s hit it with a downgrade.

Renminbi adoption has surged in the United Arab Emirates while lagging behind in the Eurozone, according to the latest data by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift). The Chinese authorities also seem ready to increase RMB connectivity with the Middle East through a number of new initiatives.

Yapi Kredi Bank is in the market with its annual loan refinancing, as Turkey’s sovereign rating received its second downgrade of the year on Friday, putting Yapi in line to follow.

Moody’s cut Turkey’s investment grade rating to junk on Friday, as anticipated, but comments the agency made last week caught investors off guard. However, despite the initial sovereign sell-off, a rally has begun.

Union National Bank (UNB) has announced plans to return to the dollar bond market after an absence of nearly two years.

Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) signed a Sr5bn ($1.3bn) Islamic loan this week, having already secured $3.8bn in dollar loans this year.

Saudi British Bank (SABB) has completed its first dollar denominated syndicated loan, according to one banker, as the country's borrowers increasingly turn to international debt markets.

Nomura has added a Turkey specialist to its EM coverage team as it continues to build its EMEA emerging markets platform.