North Africa

Two CEEMEA issuers, Egypt and Hungary's Mol, are in the market this week to raise funding. According to experts, issuers are eager to get their funding in before expected geopolitical and coronavirus-related volatility impacts markets.

The Arab Republic of Egypt has mandated banks to arrange its debut green bond, which will be the first sovereign green bond from the Middle East and North Africa. The deal, according to bankers, has been in the works for over a year and has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Kingdom of Morocco raised a €1bn bond on Thursday, which was priced wider than some analysts' fair value estimates. Market conditions, bankers said, are deteriorating ahead of expected volatility in coming months.

The Kingdom of Morocco, an infrequent emerging market issuer that some investors have been watching for, launched a euro bond on Thursday, its second in two years.

There is growing concern among African policymakers that indebted low income countries face growing risks of downgrades and even default because of a lack of coordinated support from public and private institutions.

The Arab Republic of Egypt — a frequent bond issuer — has signed its first syndicated loan. Egypt’s debut in the market, bankers said, is an attempt to diversify its funding to support an expanding state budget, just months after its debut green bond was delayed due to Covid-19. Mariam Meskin reports.

The Arab Republic of Egypt has secured its debut syndicated conventional and Islamic facility from a range of local and international lenders as it attempts to support the state budget, which has come under major pressure during the coronavirus crisis.

Tunisia, one of the latest emerging market countries to fall into the grips of crisis, is facing myriad problems following its prime minister’s shock resignation this week. Though the government has approached sovereign creditors for debt relief, some say it may have more trouble obtaining payment holidays on its existing bonds, as the private sector debt relief debate for emerging markets brews.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) sold the first Algerian dinar-linked bond from a development finance institution last week. With local market liquidity drying up because of the collapse in the price of oil, further demand for dinar assets could depend on how well the nation’s economy diversifies away from the industry.

Egypt’s debut green bond, which had been expected to come to market in the first half of the year, is on hold, according to sources. But although the coronavirus pandemic has impacted issuance for issuers such as Egypt, the green bond market is far from dead.

Emerging market bond issuance, particularly from the Middle East, has been recovering after the brutal March shocks of Covid-19 and low oil prices. Egypt took that momentum further on Thursday as it announced a triple tranche trade.

The Arab Republic of Egypt is set to become the first Middle East or North African sovereign to sell a green bond. But there are no “obvious suspects” for a follow-on deal, according to those in the market. While green bond issuance is taking root among the region's other borrower classes, the format has yet to grasp the attention of governments for whom, some say, the challenge of being greener is proving too great, writes Mariam Meskin.