Natixis

Commitments for CVC-owned French healthcare firm Elsan were due on Thursday for its €730m acquisition term loan, after guidance was tightened twice in an ever bullish loan market as the year end drew near.

Natixis has named a new global markets head for Asia Pacific, while Standard Chartered has recruited an outsider to run financial markets.

National Bank of Abu Dhabi signed a $2bn three year loan on Tuesday, cementing the bank group for its $175bn merger with First Gulf Bank, though some key European banks turned down a role on the deal.

Emmanuel Lefort has been promoted to head of global markets for Asia Pacific at Natixis, replacing Serge Ekué who is relocating to the UK.

Citi and ING have named new heads for their respective Asia debt syndicate teams, while Natixis has recruited a DCM banker from Commerzbank.

French health care group Elsan, owned by private equity firm CVC, on Tuesday announced price guidance on its €730m loan for the buyout of MédiPôle Partenaires.

Chinese companies have aggressively expanded into Europe this year, snapping up businesses and expanding their footprint. While loans are still the go-to funding tool and often get the bulk of the refinancing, as this week’s China National Chemical Corp transaction shows, the bridge-to bond route is becoming more popular. Morgan Davis and Addison Gong report.

Asia’s debt capital markets opened with a bang on Wednesday with five issuers fighting for attention. Investors have plenty of choice including a euro deal and a trio of dollar offerings from Chinese FIG and corporate names.

Companies are continuing to use windows for corporate bond issuance ahead of Sunday’s Italian referendum, as three borrowers hit the euro bond market on Tuesday.

The Islamic Development Bank is marketing a sukuk, the second Islamic bond in two weeks. The deal is expected to be priced on Wednesday.

Coventry Building Society has mandated leads for a roadshow ahead of a possible €500m seven year covered bond. The announcement follows further rates volatility and the withdrawal of most bids in the secondary market.

SP Mortgage Bank got a strong response this week for its first covered bond, partly due to its defensive five year maturity, while Caffil did well to issue a 15 year deal despite soaring volatility.