Intesa Sanpaolo

A series of comeback trades has established firm demand for every debt class in the bank bond market. With credit spreads moving another leg tighter this week, issuers must now consider whether they have a precious opportunity to wheel out their riskiest transactions with the coronavirus pandemic still threatening society and capital markets. Tyler Davies reports.

Bank balance sheets are set to expand and Intesa's will be no exception. It will mean an an increased reliance on central bank funding. But apart from this, the Italian bank's mix of funding is likely to remain unchanged from February with the emphasis on regulatory capital. But as Alessandro Lolli, head of group treasury and finance told GlobalCapital, the bank has great flexibility in navigating its capital raising during the pandemic.

Fitch cut the ratings of four Italian banks this week, triggering underperformance in the market and pushing some non-preferred senior bonds into speculative grade territory.

Italian-American car company Fiat Chrysler has drawn down on its €6.25bn revolving credit facility to shore up its finances during the Covid-19 pandemic, though the company has left a new bridge loan untouched.

Bank of Italy officials said this week that the country’s most fragile financial institutions might struggle to cope with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, raising the prospect of consolidation within the banking sector.

Turkey’s Akbank has refinanced a syndicated loan with tighter margins than its existing facility, as lenders demonstrate unwavering appetite for Turkish debt.

Spain’s Red Eléctrica Corporación has hired banks to run a series of fixed income investor calls for a debut five year senior unsecured deal, in the first European corporate roadshow since stringent social distancing measures were implemented across the continent.

Intesa Sanpaolo will provide Italian companies with €5bn worth of new one to 1.5 year loans, and offer an additional €10bn of debt to customers through existing credit lines, to help steer the nation's economy through the Coronavirus crisis.

On Monday, a day when European stock indices plummeted, hedge fund giant Bridgewater Associates was executing short positions against 37 of the continent's companies, particularly in France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.

Italy’s capital markets bankers are keeping calm amid the coronavirus crisis, getting used to working from home, and trying to support clients as well as they can, while wishing for help from Europe and the European Central Bank. But they are not allowing themselves to hope the worst is over. The health crisis is acute and getting worse.

Banco BPM unveiled an ambitious new strategic plan this week, accounting for the potential impact of Covid-19 in northern Italy. The bank intends to reduce its reliance on the European Central Bank (ECB) for funding and take advantage of regulatory changes allowing additional tier one to be included in Pillar 2 capital requirements.

Banks are delaying their plans to raise funding in the euro market, as credit spreads drifted wider on news about the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.