Kookmin Bank goes digital in dollars, yen issuance ahead of BoJ, as Volkswagen meets euro demand

◆ Wide range of investors buy highly rated bonds ◆ DNB achieves one of the tightest spreads since Covid-era QE days of 2021 ◆ SpareBank 1 SMN extends euro senior curve by two years

◆ Fair value estimated ◆ 'No fatigue' despite ongoing supply ◆ Increasing international investor base

◆ Stellantis sees stronger demand for shorter leg of €1.25bn dual trancher ◆ RCI Banque prices €750m 5.2 year tightly ◆ Ford finds demand in short end sterling

◆ RBC's second euro dual trancher of the year ◆ Takes large size in very busy market ◆ 'Nice' to price 4NC3 10bp inside Morgan Stanley, lead says

◆ Deal is joint tightest in the asset class since October 2021 ◆ Finishes with larger book than Nordea's November 2025 outing ◆ 'Flight to quality', outright rates and search for sub paper power strong outcome

The IPO market looked on in despair on Wednesday as Deliveroo, the UK food delivery company, began trading. The stock fell more than 20% in early trading and shell-shocked bankers fear that IPOs planned for after Easter may have to be put on hold. Sam Kerr reports.

An environmental activist institute has argued that the bookrunners of a Korea National Oil Corp $700m bond priced on Tuesday are being inconsistent with their own climate policies, and might even be taking legal risks, because of the issuer's exposure to tar sands oil production in Canada.

Korea National Oil Corp’s (KNOC) quasi-sovereign credentials helped drive demand for its $700m bond on Monday, its first international debt transaction of the year.

Deliveroo, the UK food delivery company, has taken heed of investor fears of IPO congestion and has revised its the price range of its listing down to the bottom end of the range.

The financial markets’ stance on climate change has taken a stride forward as 43 asset managers with $23tr of assets including some of the biggest such as BlackRock and Vanguard have joined the Net Zero Asset Managers’ Initiative. A critical mass of investors is now committed to reducing carbon emissions in their portfolios to zero, meaning that companies can be in no doubt which way they have to go if they want to maximise their potential investor base.

The polite world of sustainable finance has collided with the ugly reality of politics in the past week, as open strife has broken out over the European Union’s sustainable finance legislation, especially the Taxonomy. Conservative and progressive elements are battling over a host of issues, above all whether gas power should ever be classed as sustainable, and the validity and even legality of the Taxonomy is being called into question.

Investors were eager to tender their bonds despite initial resistance

Increased investor interest in utilities hybrids could bring down subordination premium, says SSE treasurer

Divisions deepen over multilateral development banks’ climate commitments

◆ UK utility prints €1.3bn dual trancher ◆ Issuer skips guidance as it masses orders north of €10bn ◆ Longer call leg draws stronger demand

Inclusion of a variable rate instrument was not acceptable to official creditors

Thibaut Makarovsky, head of funding and market operations at AFD, discusses his recent dollar trade and funding plans

Volatility is on the rise again

Moody’s expects prolonged disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, affecting sectors like chemicals in CLO portfolios

Bank and corporate issuance from the country has surged in 2026

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