UBS

Cytos Biotechnology, a Swiss company that has been struggling for years, has asked holders of its remaining convertible bonds to agree to a mandatory conversion to equity at a fraction of the original conversion price. Reaching a deal with bondholders is the company’s last chance to remain as a going concern.

Banco Santander leapt into an equity market this week that was otherwise empty of deals with a €7.5bn accelerated bookbuild, which bankers expected to be a huge success and an inspiration to other issuers.

Banco Santander leapt into an equity market this week that was otherwise empty of deals with a €7.5bn accelerated bookbuild, which bankers expected to be a huge success and an inspiration to other issuers, writes Olivier Holmey.

The Epiphany holidays in Europe on Tuesday may have disrupted the issuance calendar for the week, but that didn’t stop issuers from printing over €15.5bn of senior unsecured debt in just two days on Wednesday and Thursday.

Swiss Re highlighted a growing demand from Swiss investors for long dated paper this week, selling the longest ever senior unsecured Swiss franc bond from an insurance company.

Westpac successfully priced the first euro-denominated covered bond of the year on Thursday amid hopes that it will set a positive tone for next week — which is expected to be the busiest of the year. But with confidence still lacking following a string of underperforming deals issued at end of last year, there is still some trepidation that the supply glut will cause a further re-pricing.

Mitra Keluarga to gauge interest for $300m listing — AGS Transact hires banks for $200m IPO

Abbey National and Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel have opened up 2015's market for fixed rate senior unsecured bank bonds, offering investors longer tenors than the three floaters from other issuers also in the market today.

Swiss Re highlighted a growing demand from Swiss investors for long dated paper on Tuesday, selling the longest ever senior unsecured Swiss franc bond from an insurance company.

Haitong Securities tapped into the current buoyant sentiment for Chinese brokerage firms to close a hefty HK$29.94bn ($3.86bn) placement of H-shares, which saw bankers working behind the scenes to secure a cadre of high-grade investors.

HKBN is making a comeback to the Hong Kong market in an IPO that will see its major shareholder CVC and Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC pare down their stakes.

Orcel and Soanes to head UK at UBS - JPM syndicate banker lands at Itau - Amundi hires for EM debt