Turkey

Ülker Bisküvi Sanayi, a Turkish biscuit manufacturer, is set to come to market for a benchmark bond on Thursday, attempting to print a deal in a market that the country’s sovereign wealth fund deemed too hostile to make its debut in.

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The Republic of Turkey on Tuesday raised a five year dollar bond that priced slightly outside of some fair value estimations. However, despite a series of negative events in recent months, including currency depreciation, investors are still keen on getting stuck into Turkish debt, investors say.

The Republic of Turkey hit screens on Tuesday with a dollar bond issue, which took some investors by surprise. Though Turkey may have had a rocky few months with credit downgrades and currency depreciation, the bond is expected to be received well by investors.

A former director in Garanti BBVA's funding department has moved to rival lender Akbank to oversee international funding.

Despite a plethora of risks for Turkish assets, including the lira hitting fresh lows and both banks and the sovereign facing downgrades, the bi-annual refinancing season for Turkish banks is up and running. According to lenders, Akbank will open the market with a deal likely to close soon.

During the last week, Turkey’s currency has hit damning lows and the sovereign has been given another credit downgrade. Many say these events should prompt the country to enact serious fiscal and monetary reforms.

Turkish lender Garanti BBVA has lost a director in its funding department.

A tumultuous week in Turkish currency markets ended with the lira hitting new lows against the dollar and the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey finally taking action to try and calm volatility. Amid such swings, a sovereign bond issue looks unlikely.

Akbank, one of Turkey’s largest financial institutions, has raised a green bond, the first of its kind from the country since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Turkey continued to teeter on the brink of a currency crisis this week, as the lira went on another rollercoaster ride and touched a record low.

Falls in the Turkish lira have reignited concerns about a currency crisis this week, with the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey’s (CBRT) unorthodox exchange rate policy raising questions from investors about the robustness of the country’s respected banking sector. Mariam Meskin and Ross Lancaster report.