Swiss Francs

Crédit Agricole issued Swiss franc senior preferred bonds due November 2023 on Wednesday, pricing the transaction inside the bank's Swiss senior secondary curves.

PSP Swiss Property, rated A- by Fitch, tapped its April 2026 Swiss franc bond last Friday, opening the market for corporate issuance in 2018. The deal doubled the bond's size to Sfr200m ($204.93m).

Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB), in accordance with recent tradition, was the first canton off the blocks, opening the Swiss market with a Sfr240m ($246m) 10 year bond on Wednesday. Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (BLKB) was quick to follow, printing a Sfr300m nine year bond an hour later. A lack of issuance at the tail end of 2017 has buoyed the market, leaving participants hopeful of additional cash to put to work in the new year.

Emissionszentrale für gemeinnützige Wohnbauträger (EGW) issued 17 year Swiss franc bonds on Wednesday, reaffirming Swiss appetite for duration.

Lugano nipped into the Swiss franc bond market on Tuesday, with its first issuance since Moody’s gave the city its first official credit rating. Lugano will likely be one of the last borrowers to raise Swiss francs this year, as the market enters its quietest month.

Lugano entered the Swiss franc bond market on Tuesday, its first since Moody's in July gave the city its first official credit rating.

Swiss property investor Allreal Holding sold an eight and a half year bond to investors drawn in by the spread.

Swiss franc bond investors have the opportunity to buy paper with a longer maturity on Wednesday, as telecoms company Swisscom launched a Sfr150m 16 year trade, but bankers say that despite the positive reception to the deal, longer dated primary issuance in the currency will remain rare.

Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) returned to the Swiss franc market after a four year absence on Monday, in order to refinance a Sfr250m ($250.2m) 10 year Swiss franc bond expiring in two weeks’ time — but the French agency had to pay over its euro curve for entry.

ABH Financial, the holding company of Russian issuer Alfa Bank, returned to the Swiss franc market on Tuesday, with a refinancing of a Sfr85m ($85.6m) January 2018 that almost doubled the size of the original issue. The transaction came just days after Russian investment company 01 Properties pulled a debut deal after finding insufficient support for a four year bond.

PKO Bank Polski issued in Swiss francs for the first time in five years this week amid an improving basis swap out of the currency that is opening up a window for deals.

Deutsche Bahn returned to the market after a two year absence with the longest dated Swiss franc bond from a German corporate. Swap costs have made it tricky for Deutsche Bahn to borrow in the Swiss currency. But the lead managers found a window at 13 years for the issuer to exploit.