UK

CVC Credit Partners has provided an acquisition facility and a unitranche loan to Sabio, a UK firm providing customer engagement tools to bluechip companies.

Equity capital markets bankers are lining up further accelerated equity sales after a series of successful block trades last week. They are hoping that market optimism persists to allow them to print trades before corporate blackouts prevent insider sales.

The UK government should consider consulting on changes to the country’s listing rules after Brexit to attract more high growth companies to the London Stock Exchange, including allowing dual class share structures on the premium segment, according to Claire Keast-Butler, a partner at Cooley in London

US private equity group Apollo Global Management has completed the first selldown of stock in Watches of Switzerland, the UK luxury watches retailer, since its flotation on the London Stock Exchange in May last year.

Foreign and domestic banks flocked to the UK this week as they sought to take advantage of stellar funding conditions in the sterling market. Bankers said this was the first chance issuers had to benefit from opportunities in the currency following December’s general election, which removed a lot of short-term uncertainty around Brexit.

Shares in Sirius Minerals, the UK firm that is battling to build a mine for polyhalite fertiliser beneath the North York Moors, rallied significantly on Wednesday after the company said it was in advanced takeover discussions with Anglo American.

Calisen Group, the KKR-backed manufacturer of smart energy appliances, is preparing to raise £300m via an IPO on the London Stock Exchange, having announced its intention to float on Thursday.

Oil major BP's A1 rating from Moody's, which is somewhat strained, has been strengthened by its $625m sale of its interest in a North Sea oil field to Premier Oil.

Danske Mortgage Bank, Santander UK, Raiffeisenlandesbank Hypothekenpfandbrief and UniCredit Bank AG were marketing covered bonds on Wednesday, steering well clear of negative yields by tapping into healthy demand for long dated assets.

The Sonia-linked covered bond market is showing signs that it is 'maturing', with Commonwealth Bank of Australia launching a new deal in the format on Tuesday and Coventry Building Society looking to follow in the footsteps of two of its compatriots early in 2020.

Premier Oil has become the first company to announce a major ECM transaction in 2020, a £385m ($500m) capital increase to repay debt and finance the acquisition of two UK North Sea oilfields from BP.

Equity capital markets bankers are looking to bring several UK transactions to market over the next month and are hoping that investor risk appetite, healthy at the end of 2019, will allow them to get off to a quick start to the new year.