NatWest Markets

The UK based bank has named Rohit Sawhney as the new head of global transaction services for Asia Pacific

Huatai Securities is readying itself to tap the market with a credit enhanced bond having hired five banks to arrange a series of investor meetings that is poised to start on September 22.

Gemalto, the French internet security company, launched its first bond issue today, raising €400m at attractive terms, as it finances its $890m acquisition of SafeNet.

UK equipment hire company Speedy Hire has signed a £180m asset-backed revolving credit facility, to replace a £220m facility signed three years ago and due to mature in August 2015. The margins and fees on the facility have been reduced across the board.

Indian state owned refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp has opened a $300m financing into general syndication. An Indian lender has joined as MLA ahead of general launch, in addition to the five mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners,

Reliance Industries’ telecom arm Reliance Jio Infocomm has picked a consortium of 15 banks to lead its $1.5bn refinancing.

Pernod Ricard, the French distiller, issued its second European bond of the year on Wednesday, in a week already well populated with deals for drinks companies.

Diageo, the UK alcoholic drinks group, was named by research firm CreditSights last week as one of the European consumer goods companies most exposed to risk from the Scottish independence referendum.

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has a cachet in the bond market, as in its own field of luxury goods. An A+ rating is rare, and LVMH is an infrequent borrower. It can also rely on the enthusiastic support of French investors.

Indian state owned refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp has launched its $300m loan into general syndication, with the five leads already being joined by one Indian lender at the mandated lead arranger level.

WPP, the UK advertising group, launched its first bond of the year on Monday, hitting the market without warning and raising €750m. The strong reception to the deal suggested investors were not worried about buying into a company in a cyclical industry, despite Europe’s economic weakness, nor into a UK name, in the week that Scotland may vote to break up the union.

Alllen Rad has left RBS where he had been head of covered bond trading since 2008.