National Australia Bank

Lloyds Banking Group has returned to the Aussie dollar market for the first time since May 2018, offering investors the chance to invest in two tranches of senior debt at the operating company level. The issuer follows a wave of European and UK financial institutions making their way down under.

As core markets in the northern hemisphere begin to cool, SSA issuers are looking towards a Kiwi and Aussie periphery unaffected by the summer close.

National Australia Bank has hired Ross McEwan as its new group CEO, as the bank seeks to improve its reputation after a damning report criticised its conduct.

The Bank of Montreal followed Toronto Dominion’s lead on Wednesday to join the Canadian bail-inable Kangaroo frenzy, placing A$750m of five year debt.

Australia’s bank capital regulator has refused to back down from requiring the country’s largest banks to meet new loss-absorbing debt targets with tier two bonds, raising the prospect of a wave of supply over the next four years. The question now is: how much will it cost them? Tyler Davies reports.

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority said on Tuesday that Australia’s largest banks would have to use tier two capital to meet their requirements for loss-absorbing debt capacity. But the new targets will start off lower than previously proposed.

Two UK housing associations have hit the loan market, with Sovereign signing its first unsecured revolving credit facility and Hyde bringing two facilities totalling £350m.

Following on from Barclays’ Kangaroo return last month, two more foreign banks looked towards the Australian market on Wednesday. Toronto Dominion Bank placed its inaugural bail-inable Kangaroo and BNP Paribas printed its first Australian dollar AT1 note.

Swedish car manufacturer Volvo made its debut in Hong Kong dollars on Wednesday amid increasing tensions and unrest in the city.

Standard Chartered sailed into uncharted waters on Tuesday to make its Kangaroo debut. The bank issued A$1bn ($700m) across fixed and floating rate tranches, following Barclays' A$800m return to the currency last week.

Barclays returned to the Australian dollar market this week for its second Kangaroo, placing a triple tranche trade that was four times covered. The demand for Kangaroo paper could see more issuers follow Barclays, according to one DCM banker.

Three SSA borrowers issued a total of £200m ($255m) of medium-term notes in response to an inquiry for three year non-call one fixed rate sterling bonds on Tuesday — which probably all sold to the same buyer — amid an uptick of paper in the currency.