Commonwealth Bank of Australia

There is a growing pipeline of subordinated bond issuance in the FIG market this week, as issuers think about their regulatory requirements and find no reason to wait in light of a recently favoruable backdrop.

Bank of China broke new ground for Asia this week with the region’s first floating rate bond linked to the secured overnight financing rate (Sofr). But a host of challenges around payment calculations and liquidity mean other issuers will be slower to embrace this new benchmark. Addison Gong reports.

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.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has priced $3.15bn of green bonds in US dollars, Hong Kong dollars and offshore renminbi (CNH), achieving a number of firsts in the process.

The World Bank is planning to add fully digital cash settlement, multiple currencies and more nodes to its ‘bond–i’ platform, according to a banker involved in developing the blockchain system. Earlier this month, the supranational added tap functionality, as it raised A$50m ($33.7m) of capital.

Market participants expect more banks will now want to print Kangaroos after investors on a search for yield poured into UBS's additional tier one (AT1) deal on Tuesday. The syndication, which surprised those involved after it managed to shave 75bp off its initial pricing guidance and attract A$4bn ($2.71bn) of orders, suggested a market ripe for a deal spree.

UBS sold an Australian dollar additional tier one capital note on Tuesday, surprising those involved after it managed to shave 75bp off of its initial pricing guidance on the back of a A$4bn ($2.7bn) orderbook. Market participants expect more banks will now want to look at the Kangaroo market for capital issuance, with BNP Paribas having also launched an AT1 in the currency last month.

Following last Friday’s Asian Development Bank Kiwi dollar deal, the Inter-American Development Bank and International Finance Corporation both came to the Kauri market on Tuesday to tap a pair of mid-curve notes. With demand for mid-curve Kauri products high, bankers expect more issuers to follow as funding remains attractive for dollar-based borrowers.

The Asian Development Bank returned to the Kiwi dollar market to print its largest Kauri deal since January 2018 this week. With the Inter-American Development Bank and International Finance Corporation set to follow with a pair of taps in the coming days, bankers are expecting a busy few weeks in the market as investors react to the recent surprise interest rate cut from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

The World Bank is preparing to reopen its 'blockchain offered new debt instrument', or bond-i for short, as it looks to market the Australian dollar deal to a more international audience.

As core markets in the northern hemisphere begin to cool, SSA issuers are looking towards an Australian dollar sector unaffected by the summer close.

Shandong Qingyuan Group Co, a Chinese petrochemical company, has made a quick return to the loan market with a $750m syndicated facility, six months after closing a club deal.