Sweden

A measured reopening of the primary bond markets in the last month has left banks in a good place to launch new deals after first quarter results, according to FIG DCM officials.

Swedish biotech company Getinge raised Skr1bn ($100m) of commercial paper off a new Covid-19 Financing Framework on Friday to it help meet increased demand for ventilators as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Having recently completed a series of investor meetings, and armed with an Aa1 rating from Moody's, Bluestep Bank will soon print the first Swedish covered bond secured on near-prime mortgages. The transaction emerges as aggressive quantitative easing by the Riksbank has resulted in a considerable tightening of covered bond spreads.

Danish agency KommuneKredit made one of its infrequent visits to the Swedish kronor market on Wednesday. With many issuers preferring the short end of the market due to volatility from the coronavirus pandemic, the agency instead opted to tap a pocket of demand at the long end of the curve.

The Single Resolution Board will take what it describes as a "forward looking" approach with banks that might struggle to meet their minimum requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL), though it will also be sticking to its original deadlines for these targets.

Svenska Handelsbanken was the only financial institution to issue senior debt in euros this week. The issuance came at a time Swedish banks have been granted an extension of two years to comply with regulatory targets for MREL debt, which might make a short-term dent in issuance.

Trading levels given are bid-side spreads versus mid-swaps and/or an underlying benchmark and bid-yields from the close of business on Monday, April 6. The source for secondary trading levels is ICE Data Services.

The Swedish national debt office (Riksgälden) said on Tuesday that banks would have two extra years to raise non-preferred senior debt for their minimum requirements for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL). The announcement came a day after Svenska Handelsbanken sold an ordinary senior deal in the euro market.

Swedish Export Credit (SEK) joined the ranks of SSAs increasing their funding programmes in response to the Covid-19 crisis this week. Meanwhile, Norway’s Kommunalbanken (KBN) has dropped its target by $2bn as a result of a weakening Norwegian kroner.

This week's scorecard looks at the progress Nordic agencies have made in their 2020 funding programmes at the start of the second quarter.

Svenska Handelsbanken attracted €8.5bn of demand for a new preferred senior bond on Monday, as credit markets started the week on a strong footing. The Swedish lender said the transaction would help it to ‘prudently manage’ its liquidity position.

Trading levels given are bid-side spreads versus mid-swaps and/or an underlying benchmark and bid-yields from the close of business on Monday, March 30. The source for secondary trading levels is ICE Data Services.