Coronavirus

China’s Zhongyu Gas Holdings has launched a $300m refinancing loan into general syndication.

Colombia may have arrived late to the coronavirus-era Latin American sovereign bond market party, but the wait paid off on Monday as the sovereign notched a dual tranche $2.5bn issue that included its lowest ever coupon on a long dated bond.

Mexican cement maker Cemex is likely to announce a new dollar bond first thing on Tuesday after holding investor calls on the same day Fitch downgraded the borrower and placed it on negative outlook.

Argentina said on Monday evening that a new proposal to creditors was imminent after the government again extended the participation deadline in its restructuring. Optimism continues to grow over the chances of an agreement — even as an IMF statement on the process triggered forthright responses from bondholders.

The Council of Europe Development Bank is preparing to issue its second Covid-19 response bond which will also be its first ever trade in dollars under its social inclusion framework.

KKR, Cinven and Providence Private Equity have launched the first post-Covid take-private LBO attempt, targeting Spanish telecommunications company MasMovil with a €3bn takeover offer at €22.50 a share, giving the company an enterprise value of around €5bn. Barclays, BNP Paribas and Morgan Stanley have underwritten the financing for the buyout.

The pricing advantage offered to issuers by green bonds over conventional issuance — the ‘greenium’ — has shrunk during the coronavirus pandemic, making them less attractive for borrowers. Investors have instead dived into buying Covid-19 response bonds, meaning there is a decent premium available for issuers that can sell paper with that label.

Emerging market corporate downgrades have accelerated since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, which has raised questions about debt refinancing in the asset class.

Deal arrangers said on Monday that banks would not be dissuaded from bringing new bond deals to the market, though spread levels have started showing their first signs of weakness following an extraordinarily strong month in May.

The supervisory authority for Italian insurance companies (Ivass) has urged Cattolica Assicurazioni to raise €500m of capital before the autumn, having become concerned about a decline in the company's solvency ratios amid Covid-19.

Citigroup has named Will McLane as its Asia Pacific vice-chairman of technology, as it looks to grow the use of technology in client relationships, according to a memo seen by GlobalCapital Asia.

Asia’s loan market is slowly recovering from a near-shutdown due to Covid-19, with bankers predicting a busy couple of months ahead. But syndication will still be a challenge as lenders continue to remain risk-averse and selective on deals.