Bond Awards

Borrowers in sub-Saharan Africa have suffered more than those in most other regions since the Covid-19 crisis swept the globe and as it subsides, they will need international capital markets more than ever. Standard Chartered, with its strategic commitment to Africa, has been preparing issuers for their return by looking for new ways to de-risk transactions and new pockets of liquidity.

The Maple bond market has enjoyed another strong year and is an increasingly attractive option for SSA issuers seeking investor diversification while the rise of social bonds alongside green is proving a good match with local investor demand. RBC Capital Markets, with an integrated onshore and offshore capability and global public sector team has been at the forefront of these developments.

The Middle Eastern international bond market once again demonstrated its resilience over the past year with a diverse array of issuers pushing volumes well above $100bn. Standard Chartered’s client-centric approach brought success in products ranging from ESG to bank capital, and from debut transactions for corporates to repeat business for the largest sovereigns.

A huge year for sovereign funding programmes and the emergence of the European Union as an issuer made for a far more dynamic sovereign, supranational and agency bond market than ever before. The trends played to JPMorgan’s strengths, whether it was the opening up of the ultra-long end of the euro market, the shift to more sovereign syndications over auctions, or the rise and rise of green and social bonds.

The investment grade bond market has enjoyed a strong run over the last year but it also presented new challenges for corporate treasurers as green and social bond frameworks went mainstream while balance sheets needed strengthening. Rothschild & Co. was there to help clients navigate the challenges.

The investment bank awards for financial institution capital and regulatory advice are in many ways two sides of the same coin: both demand deep sector expertise and relationships as well as a strategic understanding of bank balance sheets that goes well beyond a pure debt capital markets perspective. Morgan Stanley has shown its ability to deliver in a period during which these demands were more important than at any time in the last decade.

Being a leader in green and sustainable capital markets takes much more than arranging bond frameworks. From advising on sustainability ratings, to structuring deals and managing reporting, to embedding sustainability in lending products, ING is helping clients throughout their sustainability journey.

The European bond market for financial institutions has swung away from liquidity and towards capital, while ESG is becoming an ever-more important theme. Successful lead managers have needed expertise across all these areas, as well as the global distribution capability to help issuers find opportunities wherever and whenever they arise, a recipe well-suited to HSBC.

By staying close to clients, whether the largest sovereigns or small, new economy firms, JPMorgan has delivered across the league tables and beyond.

The corporate hybrid market is on a tear, with post-Covid issuance in 2020 of €46.7bn, almost as much as in the two previous years combined, and volume for 2021 already reaching €19.8bn by mid-May. Citi has been on the top-line of 60% of the corporate hybrids issued since the start of the pandemic, leading €38.6bn out of a total €66bn, and on 38 tranches out of 75 issued.

We’re delighted to reveal the winners of the GlobalCapital Bond Awards — the best borrowers, investment banks, investors and other participants in the international bond markets.

“There was no doubt in our minds that this was seismic,” says Mark Byrne, director, fixed income origination and syndication at TD Securities in London. He’s talking about the moment three years ago, when the UK Financial Conduct Authority confirmed plans to end the use of Libor in 2021.