ING

Sweden set out on Friday how it will apply the EU’s latest capital rules to its banks. Market participants highlighted that the planned changes would give issuers less headroom over the coupon cancellation threshold for their additional tier ones (AT1s).

French companies Schneider Electric and LafargeHolcim pushed the fledgling sustainability-linked bond asset class to new levels this week, helping quell vocal concerns from some investors that having an unspecified use of proceeds means the structure has no place in ESG portfolios, write Mike Turner and Aidan Gregory.

LafargeHolcim, the French-Swiss construction materials company, breezed past fair value on its debut sustainability-linked bond (SLB) on Tuesday, helping dampen concerns from some corners of the market that investors might struggle to get comfortable with the structure’s unspecified use of proceeds.

Gategroup, the Swiss airline hospitality company, has negotiated with lenders to extend the maturity on its syndicated loan facilities as part of a major debt restructuring for the Covid-battered firm.

The high grade corporate bond market burst into life on Monday, with mandates for a diverse range of trades from hybrids to sustainability-linked bonds hitting screens to take advantage of the unexpectedly positive November issuance window.

Gunvor, the Swiss energy trader, has signed a $1.225bn European revolving credit facility, having increased it after asset-hungry lenders oversubscribed the loan during syndication.

Klépierre, the French shopping centre operator, and UPM–Kymmene, the Finnish paper company, were two of a handful of names to receive raucous receptions from the bond market this week. Issuers benefited as a wave of market-friendly news turned the focus in Europe’s high grade bond market back to a risk on mode.

Financial institutions jumped into action this week, as positive news on the development of a Covid-19 vaccine led to superlative funding conditions in the euro market.

A trio of rare issuers found a window for issuance in the FIG bond market on Thursday, with Nykredit and Hamburg Commercial Bank accessing a tightening senior non-preferred market, while Íslandsbanki launched Iceland's first ever sustainable bond

Nykredit Realkredit did not need a premium to launch a new non-preferred bond in euros on Thursday, with spreads in the asset class having now returned to where they were before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Deal arrangers expect banks will take advantage of a positive tone in the euro market by bringing forward their plans for non-preferred senior issuance, following in the footsteps of CaixaBank and ING Groep on Tuesday.

Vattenfall, the Swedish energy company, has swapped its €2bn bank line with a sustainability-linked facility, with the deal defining the borrower’s core banking group.