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Erste Group’s decade-long expansion of its DCM franchise has created a covered bond powerhouse with expertise stretching from Canada to eastern Europe. Dedication to issuers and investors alike secured Erste wins for Best Bank for Distribution and Syndication, two of the most coveted categories for covered bond dealers. In a testament to the strength of its team, the firm also saw a trio bankers win awards for individual excellence.

Jörg Homey, head of covered bond research at DZ BANK, assesses the state of the covered bond market following the summer break and considers where it goes now

A culture of collaboration, cutting-edge technology and unrivalled geographic reach contributed to MarketAxess’ win as ‘Best Secondary Market Trading Platform for Emerging Market Bonds’ at GlobalCapital’s annual awards. We sat down with Dan Burke, the firm’s new Global Head of Emerging Markets, to discuss how the MarketAxess platform has evolved and what the future holds.

Issuers need to look to the future with clearly defined objectives and remain agile.

In turbulent times finance can be a guiding force. According to André Küüsvek, President and CEO of the Nordic Investment Bank, the bank has a growing appetite for investing in climate and nature, while securing regional resilience. In this Q&A, Küüsvek outlines his vision for the triple-A rated international financial institution based in Helsinki, detailing how NIB makes impact-driven investments to foster resilience.

As one of the country’s systemically important banks, Arion Bank has long been a leading force in the Icelandic market and in recent years has extended its focus to the wider Arctic region. In the retail segment, it serves half the entire Icelandic population through a diverse product offering. Its cutting-edge corporate and investment banking operation also boasts more than half the country’s companies as clients. But Arion differentiates itself from peers on several other fronts.

Interest rates are expected to remain high most of this year due to persistent inflation. Landsbankinn’s Economic Research department nevertheless expects the economy to show resilience and grow. The department recently published an outlook on the subject, leading up to 2026.

Leading lenders like DZ Bank are well placed to guide retail clients through challenging energy and renovation projects that are key to climate success.

Íslandsbanki is one of the leading players in Icelandic banking and is an innovator in the country’s capital markets, notably being the first issuer of covered bonds. It has cultivated a broad investor base across the capital spectrum and across Europe.

Major shifts in monetary policy and market conditions have created funding opportunities for sovereign, supranational and agency (SSA) issuers, and there is no bank more skilled at devising optimal execution strategy than Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (Santander CIB).

Santander’s success in broadening its SSA business has been nothing short of exceptional. A major force in the local market for years, the bank has rapidly evolved into a global SSA powerhouse. GlobalCapital spoke to Ali Nauman, executive director, SSA DCM, about the firm’s winning strategy, its approach to building relationships and its ambitions for the future.

KBRA reviews day three of Global ABS, with private credit the main focus

KBRA reviews day two of Global ABS, showcasing investor, issuer, researcher, and CLO investor viewpoints and many other topics

KBRA reviews day one of Global ABS 2024, which opened on June 4 to a record more than 5,000 registered attendees

U.S. Bank has been a leading force in the corporate trust business for decades – its tireless commitment to clients, attention to product development and investment in cutting-edge technology have created a global powerhouse. This year the bank once again took home US CLO Trustee of the Year, while its rapidly growing European business won Securitization Trustee of the Year.

All signs point to an upbeat and optimistic 28th annual Global ABS conference in Barcelona on June 4-6, Europe’s largest gathering of securitisation market participants

Long a major player in hard currency emerging market trading, MarketAxess continues to expand its unrivalled platform in local markets across Latin America. The firm’s focus on innovation and its unique understanding of client needs is generating record growth across products and trading protocols — making MarketAxess a clear winner of Best Secondary Market Trading Platform for Latin American Bonds.

Distinguished by the size of its practice, the breadth of its expertise, the sophistication of its work and its unrivalled position on the front line of industry advocacy, Mayer Brown stands alone. Last year saw the firm once again involved in many of the year’s most high-profile deals, as they exceled across multiple market segments to take home GlobalCapital’s award for ABS Law Firm of the Year.

Already recognised as a leading esoteric ABS issuer, 2023 was the year that Affirm took a major leap forward to establish itself as a programmatic issuer in the ABS market.

In 2023, Nomura won over the market by going the extra mile for clients in tough conditions. High rates and widening credit spreads made primary issuance difficult. Nomura’s combination of problem solving and stepping in to provide liquidity, advice, and expertise to the RMBS market helped the firm to three securitization awards. Recognized for exemplary research, a peerless trading desk, and as the best overall for RMBS bank – Nomura has shown, once again, their strength in the mortgage market.

Rarely has having a bank with the expertise to navigate uncertain markets been so important to borrowers as in 2023. One firm in particular stood out for its ability to guide successful transactions home in the hardest of conditions. The winner of GlobalCapital’s Loan House of the Year — in addition to a host of other loan awards — was BNP Paribas. GlobalCapital spoke to Nicolas Rabier, the bank’s co-head of investment grade finance, about what lay behind the firm’s success and some of the stand out deals from the past year.

Crédit Agricole CIB was involved in virtually every award-winning loan deal this year. But its strength in real asset finance won special mention. Clean energy and the digital transition are two of the most important trends in global infrastructure — the bank is at the heart of both. Unrivalled experience saw the firm lead stellar telecom tower and offshore wind transactions — leaving it the clear winner of Best Arranger of Infrastructure and Renewables Loans.

Emirates NBD Capital’s CEO, Hitesh Asarpota, discusses the growing Middle East equity market, high demand for sustainability and Sukuk, and the bank’s priorities for 2024 during a discussion with GlobalCapital.

Emirates NBD Capital’s CEO, Hitesh Asarpota, discusses the growing Middle East equity market, high demand for sustainability and Sukuk, and the bank’s priorities for 2024 during a discussion with GlobalCapital.

To date, it has launched fifteen sustainable bond issues (10 social and 5 green) for an amount of 7,552 million euros to finance projects that drive sustainable growth.