UK

German chemicals producer BASF snatched a steal in sterling on Tuesday as it printed flat to its curve with a £300m long eight year trade that began 2017’s corporate bond issuance in the currency.

The UK’s University Partnerships Programme (UPP) has signed a £105m financing arrangement to back University of London’s construction of new student accommodation in Stratford, East London.

The plans of London Stock Exchange Group and Deutsche Börse to pursue a merger of equals received a boost this week, as rival exchange Euronext agreed terms with the LSEG to buy its Paris clearing house business LCH SA in an all cash offer.

Loan facilities backing Mid Europa Partners’ acquisition of Romanian retail chain Profi Rom Food will go into general syndication this month, with a fifth bank joining the bookrunners and tranche prices having been indicated to ‘early bird’ lenders.

As a year where political upsets became the norm drew to a close, GlobalCapital picks the standout trades from a turbulent 2016.

In November GlobalCapital polled loan market participants for the 14th Syndicated Loan, Leveraged Finance and Private Placement Awards. The nominations are listed below in alphabetical order. We will reveal the winners at the awards dinner, to be held on February 8, 2017 at the Guildhall in London.

Natixis has beefed up its aviation finance division with a number of senior appointments in Singapore and London, citing “robust growth for the business line" as the reason behind the developments.

The UK’s decision to leave the European Union cast extreme uncertainty over the economy, the values and even the unity of the country. Its ramifications for domestic companies’ financing capabilities has been both more obvious and more benign, however. Max Bower reports.

It was another quiet year for issuance on the London Stock Exchange’s Order Book for Retail Bonds, while unfortunate bondholders of oil and gas developer Enquest, which listed its issues on ORB, had to deal with a restructuring. But investors on the platform have stood firm during the tough times, and are still ready to take down new issues.

Shares in Greencore, the Anglo-Irish sandwich and convenience food producer, closed 3% higher on Wednesday after it completed its £439m rights issue to finance its acquisition of Peacock Foods, a US competitor.

Shares in Life Healthcare, one of South Africa’s leading private hospital operators, rose 1.5% on Tuesday after it said it would raise R10.7bn ($756m) in a rights issue to reduce its leverage after buying Alliance Medical Group, the UK provider of diagnostic imaging services.

Lloyds’ purchase of Bank of America’s credit card business MBNA will hit its common equity tier one ratio, but analysts believe the 80bp decline in will be "easily manageable".