Asian Development Bank ADB

Two supranationals are on screens for ESG firsts. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced its first green transition bond, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is preparing its first foray into the green bond market in sterling, capitalising on strong appetite from UK pension funds.

KfW and the Asian Development Bank won huge praise from SSA bankers with rare 10 year dollar trades this week. The former issued the largest ever dollar green from a public sector borrower.

SSA issuers turned towards niche currencies this week to meet a range of demand across the Australian and Canadian dollar curves. KfW and the Asian Development Bank started the week printing in Australian dollars, before the World Bank joined them in the currency while also returning to the Maple market.

A trio of supranationals harnessed a lack of sterling supply to reopen the market this week. The World Bank brought the first fixed rate supranational deal since August, while the Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank both reopened Sonia-linked notes.

The Asian Development Bank joined the syndicated sterling issuance run started by the European Investment Bank earlier this week, pricing a £300m tap of its March 2024 Sonia-linked note on Wednesday. The World Bank looks set to follow with a fixed rate tap on Thursday that bankers feel could give a good indication of the market’s appetite for the format amid volatility.

The Asian Development Bank hopped on to screens on Tuesday to print a new 10.5 year green Kangaroo bond. Demand for longer dated Kangaroo bonds has been muted recently, leading to smaller transaction sizes. So introducing a green label helped the ADB feel “comfortable” with achieving its minimum issuance size, said Anthony Ruschpler, treasury specialist at the ADB in Manila.

KfW won huge praise from on-looking bankers for a curve extending and rare 10 year dollar green bond on Tuesday. The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and Österreichische Kontrollbank (OeKB) also enjoyed success in the dollar primary market with three year trades, with the former selling its debut Sofr-linked floating rate note.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) hit screens on Monday morning with initial price thoughts for a new 10 year green Kangaroo bond. The trade follows a busy week for SSA Kangaroo issuance at the long end of the curve, driven by Japanese demand according to one banker.

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SSA issuers of dollar bonds were able to push harder on spread than they have in recent weeks on Wednesday, surprising syndicate bankers away from the deals.

The dollar SSA market burst into life on Tuesday, but some bankers say that the tight spreads and low yields on offer mean there is little guarantee any of the trades will be easy.

Westpac placed just under HK$13.4bn into the Hong Kong market across two MTNs last week — the pair of bonds are its largest ever in the currency, according to Dealogic. The notes came in a busy week for niche issuance, and bankers have posited that this move into the peripheral markets comes as a response to the global fall in yields.