UniCredit

Dufry, the world’s largest travel retailer, issued €750m of senior unsecured notes on Wednesday to buy back its outstanding €700m of 4.5% notes, due in 2023, and pay back a small slice of its revolver.

A flurry of new deals this week had issuers having to compete for investors’ attention. Bankers said that higher yielding deals were much easier to sell, with non-preferred senior bonds from Bankia and Lloyds Banking Group proving more popular than a tighter print from Belfius.

Central European telecommunications provider PPF Arena 1 has come to market for its second bond issue, after debuting earlier this year.

Spanish banks are using strong market conditions to their advantage towards the start of November, with Banco de Sabadell completing its annual funding plans this week and UniCaja Banco getting ready to launch its debut tier two transaction.

Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) is getting ready to offer FIG investors a very rare chance to purchase green bank capital in euros, with the issuer set to hit the road for a new tier two in November.

Italian infrastructure engineering firm Maire Tecnimont has brought a sustainability-linked note to the Schuldschein market, the second to be launched this week. However, with this debut issue, the margin rise or fall is larger than the previous two, making it an interesting test for investors.

Gestamp, the Spanish automotive engineering company, has closed its Schuldschein with indications of a final size at about €180m. Market players believe that Spain and Italy may be the next key sources of growth in the years to come.

Germany’s Daimler and the Netherlands’ KPN were out for euro bonds on Wednesday. High grade corporate bond players kept an eagle eye on the trades to see what shape the European Central Bank’s bond buying programme would take this time round.

One of the more fascinating transactions to reach the Schuldschein market in the past few months is from the European arm of Singapore-listed real estate investment trust (Reit) Cromwell. The transaction’s closing date was postponed by more than a month, as many away from the deal claimed the deal was struggling to find traction. But bankers close to the situation were quick to assure that it was still on track and investors just needed more time to analyse the credit.

UniCredit’s search for a more efficient corporate structure shows how an incomplete Banking Union is beginning to weigh on pan-European financial institutions.

Banco de Sabadell completed its annual funding plan on Tuesday with a €500m preferred senior bond, adding a call option to the transaction in a clear sign that it is likely to be used as part of the minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL).

Austrian cellulose fibre maker Lenzing has entered the Schuldschein market with margins tied to its sustainability performance.