◆ Infrequent issuers achieve tight pricing... ◆ ...but lose a third of orders ◆ Investors may demand more NIP on deals from next week

Deals price tightly to Western European peers, with high-spread Icelandic banks performing the most

The country is one of the most vulnerable in EM to energy price shocks

◆ ING brings its first euro capital trade of 2026 ◆ Fair value debated ◆ ING's and Intesa's tier two deals were "not a competition"

◆ Mercedes-Benz prints its first euro public deal of 2026 ◆ Traton's debut green bond pays small NIP ◆ Both issuers tapped euro private placements this year

The winning institutions and individuals will be revealed at the awards dinner on June 17 in London

Pivotal players in capital markets through their credit ratings, rating agencies are responding to investors’ increasing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors by providing ESG ratings too. But how do the two products differ and is there room for both, given ESG’s growing influence on credit risk? Experts from Moody’s ESG Solutions explain their approach.

Central banks have become integral to the fight against climate change in financial markets. Participants now expect them to wield their immense influence through many avenues of their work — economic analysis, metrics, supervision, investment and even monetary policy.

While the initial focus of sustainable finance efforts was largely on environmental action, social factors have grown increasingly prominent in recent years — underscored by the establishment of the Social Bond Principles in 2017. Subsequently, Covid and racial tensions in the US have each highlighted social disparities that are leading issuers and investors to treat diversity and inclusion as key parameters too.

Russian IPOs have long been beset by the political turmoil that surrounds their country’s relationship with the US. Many a deal has been sunk by US-Russia tension, particularly when sanctions are imposed by the former.

Is finance about to break out of the cocoon in which it has pupated for decades, and become a completely different life form?

The European Commission signalled this week that it would extend regulation into many more aspects of sustainable finance, driving an agenda that could change the role of capital markets in society. But although responsible investing experts welcomed it, the complex package of at least 30 measures is likely to provoke a wide variety of reactions, from enthusiastic support to complaints that it is too slow and unambitious, to outright opposition. Jon Hay reports.

AfDB hopes to launch multi-issuer securitization this year

Deal liberates capital and tempts investors to take new frontier market risk

◆ First dollar benchmark from World Bank since October 2025 ◆ 'Remarkable' size and spread achieved ◆ IDA jumps through hoops to issue SEC exempt deal

New law expected to accelerate the dominance of professional landlords

Trade backed by lease, power purchase agreements as sector navigates regulatory changes

Nigeria plans a total return swap, following peers on the continent in the last 12 months

Growing worries about inflation and interest rate rises not putting investors off EM debt, yet

◆ British lender fixed spread and deal size from outset ◆ Order book closed at over two times the deal size ◆ Fixing terms enabled faster execution, the lender said

◆ Sterling trade was lender's third tranche of covereds this year ◆ 48bp was in line with fair value, a banker said ◆ Santander UK's first sterling covered since May 2025

US drug company Eli Lilly jolted the dollar market awake on Wednesday with an eight-part jumbo trade to fund two recent acquisitions

The US dollar market buoyant this week despite escalating hostilities in the Middle East

Redwood will be a repeat issuer