Luxembourg

International investors will be getting a more transparent look at China’s domestic green bonds, following a new initiative from the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) and the Shanghai Clearing House.

Guarantors: Kingdom of Belgium (51%), Republic of France (46%) and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (3%)

The day after a jumbo corporate bond issue is often a quiet one for new issuance as investors digest their allocations and assess the impact on secondary spreads. But after Sanofi's €8bn offering on Wednesday, Thursday was another bumper day.

Swiss luxury goods company Richemont made its debut in the corporate bond market on Thursday with a jumbo triple tranche offering. And Goldman Sachs leapt in the league tables by solely running the €3.75bn deal.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) lifts restrictions on foreign investors seeking a majority stake in local securities firms, lawmakers consent to move to scrap the two-term presidential limit, and the Chinese commerce minister says the country will not fight a trade war with the US.

Prologis, the US-based warehouse Reit group, recently became the first issuer from its sector to issue a green bond, when it sold a €300m 10 year deal.

SGG Group, the corporate and investor services firm based in Luxembourg and owned by Astorg, will fund its acquisition of UK peer First Names in the leveraged loan market, which has already enjoyed its busiest January ever in EMEA.

NordLB attracted a strong order book and paid little new issue premium for its first dollar covered bond — also the first dollar covered bond of 2018 — a defensive three year dollar Reg S Lettres de Gage publiques.

Bevco, the Luxembourg-based investment company that is the third largest shareholder in Anheuser-Busch InBev, made its corporate bond debut on Friday with a benchmark five year deal that won a warm reception from investors.

Renminbi bullishness has served Luxembourg well. The tiny country has enjoyed substantial China-related fund flows in 2017, largely thanks to a wider offering of investments, Marc Andre Bechet, director of legal and tax at the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (Alfi), told GlobalRMB.

International investors increase their stake in Chinese bonds and equities, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) records the second highest trading volume for its USDCNH futures, and Luxembourg Stock Exchange promotes green bonds issued by Agricultural Development Bank of China (ADBC).

The finance ministry in Luxembourg has published a draft covered bond law to finance renewable energy infrastructure loans. But there could be limited demand to use the framework, and much depends on new European rules coming later this year.