Spain

European banks could be set for a wave of calls and tenders on legacy debt instruments, after the European Banking Authority demanded a clean-up this week. Action may not be immediate, however, with markets still seeking clarity on a number of key issues.

Guarantor: Kingdom of Spain

Soltec Power Holding, the Spanish maker of solar trackers for renewable energy generation, has narrowed the price range for its IPO on the Spanish Stock Exchange, after the deal was covered shortly after the launch of bookbuilding earlier this week.

The Spanish treasury has cut its funding target for the year by €15bn as a result of a better income than anticipated, and said it does not expect to issue any more syndicated bonds before the end of the year.

The European Banking Federation (EBF) has called on regulators to be more flexible in handing out minimum requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL) to newly merged businesses, as a way of encouraging consolidation.

Spain’s expected bond syndication, thought to be coming this week, now appears unlikely, according to several SSA bankers.

Luminor’s Estonian cover pool will have Latvian mortgages, Bawag’s Austrian cover pool will include Dutch mortgages. And once merger plans are fully completed, Caixabank’s cover pool will include those from Bankia, making it Spain's biggest, with a share of almost a third of the Spanish covered bond market.

Equity capital markets bankers were taking stock of a big move down in equity markets on Monday as Covid-19 infection rates rose in Europe and the UK government signalled the imposition of social restrictions to combat the disease. That has focused minds on deal execution, particularly the rights issue of IAG, which was set to close this week.

Spain, which is said to be readying a 10 year deal will have to contend with S&P's decision to change its ratings outlook for the country to negative on Friday. However, its secondary curve has not been badly affected.

Spain is looking to follow hot on the heels of the soaring demand Italy attracted this week with its own syndicated bond which could come as soon as next week in what is likely to be a busy one for new issues ahead of the European Union’s re-entry as a jumbo borrower, according to SSA bankers.

Bankia and CaixaBank have opened a new chapter in Spanish bank consolidation, having announced that they are undergoing preliminary discussions about a merger. Analysts welcomed the development and believe that it will mark an important test for consolidation in the Spanish banking sector.

Senior deals from Banco de Sabadell and Mediobanca underlined the pricing benefits of printing in green formats this week, with both coming inside conventional curves. Other issuers could be tempted to follow.