Europe’s high grade corporate market this week saw one of its busiest days of the year, with a touch over €4.5bn printed from eight tranches on Wednesday, and investors lapped up most of the deals with ease.

Bpifrance has announced a euro benchmark, following in the footsteps of two other French issuers that came to market this week.

The Biden administration has vowed to focus efforts on clean energy and sustainability, and the impetus has trickled down to the securitization market. One of the growing pains of the shift to ESG in the market is greenwashing, which often happens due to a lack of standardization. However, market sources say it’s too early to ask for standardization — the first step may be for ABS-issuing companies to get started on their own frameworks and aggregate data.

Rating: Aa3/A/A+

Rating: Baa3/BBB/BB+

University College London has issued the first public ESG-labelled bond from the UK’s higher education sector, which it priced flat to fair value. But bankers say that while the demand is there, a lack of supply means deals like this are going to be a rarity.

World Bank-managed issuer taps capital markets to accelerate donor pledges into Gavi vaccine programmes

Public pension schemes have sold shares in coal, oil and gas companies but are still funding expansion of the gas industry through infrastructure funds

Fund modelled on Romania’s Fondul has $2.4bn of assets

State of New Hampshire's innovative bond gets Ba2 rating

Shares in company, which manufactures underwater mine disposal drones, have risen by close to 50% this year

Renewables can make Europe’s capital markets less vulnerable to energy price shocks

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

The DRC has a poor governance record but that doesn't mean things will end in tears for its investors

Demand allowed the bank to cut the yield by 35bp

The country offers huge potential and possible pitfalls for investors

A piece of very rare African senior bank issuance could also come this week

Issuers of senior debt are under little pressure to print, and can wait

The most successful investment banks must strive for excellence in managing people

Tight price and strong book reported as market awaits geographic breakdown

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

Redwood will be a repeat issuer

Monday evening sale is latest block trade