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The European Central Bank's various purchase programmes are set to continue shaping covered bond issuance next year, but away from the reach of the ECB, more niche markets are expected to flourish. Collected below is a selection of GlobalCapital’s covered bond outlooks for next year.

Trig, the London-listed renewable infrastructure investment firm, has signed a £500m loan with its margin linked to Sonia rather than Libor, as loans bankers try to encourage borrowers look at their loan documents soon to avoid bottlenecks next year.

Nobody will forget 2020 in a hurry. It was the year in which a coronavirus pandemic swept across the globe, created economic chaos and forced central banks into swift action. The resulting measures helped to underpin financial markets, bringing yields from record highs in March to record lows in December. But the outlook has always remained uncertain for banks and insurance companies, whose balance sheets are yet to feel the full impact of the crisis. In such a testing year, GlobalCapital wanted to reward the bond deals that achieved stand-out results for issuers — in terms of pricing, execution and timing. The winners are presented here.

European banks passed a real-life stress test in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic threatened to topple the economy. The experience has improved the standing of subordinated debt, which is becoming more important for issuers and investors alike. Frank Jackman reports.

The Swiss National Bank said it is “willing” to increase the scope of its foreign exchange interventions to keep the Swiss franc’s value down, despite the US Treasury labelling it a ‘currency manipulator’ this week.

Hungary has no plans to issue wholesale bonds in foreign currency markets next year, having raised more debt than expected in euros and yen in 2020.

The European Banking Authority has warned the market to expect a sharp deterioration in asset quality next year, after publishing a wealth of new information on provisioning practices.

Bank of America will become a primary dealer for the Netherlands' government bond market next year, but ING has quit, as part of its strategy of scaling back its dealerships to relieve pressure on its financial markets business.

The European Central Bank is expected to announce an extension to its Targeted Longer Term Refinancing Operations (TLTRO III) on Thursday, with this week's meeting long flagged as one for action. Any extension to either the duration of the programme or the minus 1% special interest period will ease the pressure on banks to repay borrowed funds early next September.

Emerging market borrowers seem to be enjoying unfettered access to the capital markets, but many are now questioning whether this Covid-induced debt spree can be sustained in the long run. With fiscal support packages likely to be needed in 2021, investors will be sifting through EM governments to see which will be able to borrow and which will be left behind, writes Mariam Meskin.

Sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) have hogged much of the limelight in the socially responsible investment markets this year. But transition bonds, which had fallen out of favour for some time, have demonstrated there is clear demand for the product, following a strong deal for Snam this week and guidelines due for release in the coming days, writes Mike Turner.

Turkey's largest city, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, hit markets on Wednesday, seeking to raise dollars in a rare debt-raise. The deal is one of three major bonds from Turkish issuers in the last week.