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Breakthroughs are being made in the emerging bond markets on both sides of the Atlantic this week.

African Export-Import Bank is set to launch a loan of around $500m equivalent on Wednesday or Thursday, say bankers.

Aviva is considering an extra tranche of subordinated debt even longer than the 30.5 year non-call 10.5 it has already hired banks to sell, while a Norwegian insurer has also mandated in euros.

It’s back to business in the corporate bond market after a quiet patch last week, when a combination of rates volatility and European public holidays kept issuers away from the market.

Three overnight block trades out of Hong Kong found ready buyers when they hit screens on May 19 as investors continued to add to their China exposure and shareholders reaped the rewards of a buoyant market.

Ten banks are due to sign the mandate for notebook maker Inventec Corp’s $400m five year refinancing loan.

Shanghai Electric Group Company (SEC) wrapped up its first foray into euros this week, joining a string of Chinese firms that have recently taken advantage of Europe’s low yield environment. Due to the strong demand, not only did the issuer price the deal a lot tighter than its closest comparable but it was able to ramp up the issue size.

Gazprom Marketing & Trading, the London-headquartered unit of Russian gas company Gazprom, is in the market for a $350m one year revolving credit facility.

Public sector issuers underlined the strength of demand in the dollar market this week as issuers were able to get benchmarks away despite volatility in US Treasuries.

Starhill Global Reit has closed books on an eight year S$125m ($93.5m) bond offering. The bond follows a rush of issuance in the Singapore market as names take advantage of lower rates and improved investor appetite.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)’s Singapore branch showed that good deals can come in pair, when it sold a $400m three year deal on May 19. That trade priced just one day after its Dubai branch made a successful debut in the international bond market.

China's Ministry of Finance (MoF) has wrapped up its Rmb14bn ($2.3bn) auction of offshore renminbi government bonds in Hong Kong, with the deal about three times covered.