The GlobalCapital Podcast

GlobalCapital

A weekly podcast from GlobalCapital, the capital markets news service based in London and New York, discussing its most interesting stories from around the world. Every Friday, listen to lively discussion about the very latest themes, the most innovative and important bond and equity issues and syndicated loans and much more from the capital markets.This podcast is for anyone working in - or who wants to work in - the capital markets from investment bankers, to funding and treasury officials, investors, lawyers, analysts, NGOs and lobbyists, regulators and policy makers, and analysts.GlobalCapital has been the "voice of the markets" for over 35 years, covering bond, loan, equity and securitisation markets around the world. We cover everything from public sector bond issuers, financial institutions, emerging markets and investment grade corporate bonds and loans to securitisation (including CLOs and ABS), regulation and market news as well as industry gossip.GlobalCapital is written for capital markets professionals but the podcast is of value to anyone with an interest in the industry, whether you have been working in it for as long as we have, or are looking to make your first career move into it.This podcast is a commute-sized slice of everything that's most interesting from the world's capital markets with the aim of helping you sound smarter in your morning meeting, or making you stand out from the crowd of other hopefuls when kick-starting your career.And don't forget, you can #AskGC anything you like and we will select the best questions to answer on the show.Contact us at podcast@globalcapital.com

  1. APR 17

    What it takes to break issuance records in volatile markets

    Send us Fan Mail ◆ Dazzling feats of issuance in public sector bond market but signs of wariness persist  ◆ How banks have derisked May issuance  ◆ Corporate bond investors stick around So many bond issuance records tumbled in a busy week in the primary market that to some it felt like we were back in January. That is typically the busiest month of the year and the 2026 edition was particularly successful for issuers. But scratch beneath the surface and it was clear that issuers were having to be quite cautious about how they approached investors. This week, we discuss the tactics public sector issuers are using that are driving investors into their deals and those they are not deploying, at least just yet.  We also look at how banks have brought forward issuance, pricing some spectacular deals by doing so, to take advantage of improved investor sentiment resulting from the Iran war ceasefire. We debate what this means for the rest of the spring for banks issuing in the primary market. Finally, we looked at the European corporate bond market where issuers also took full advantage of the sentiment boost, allowing us to examine the way different companies are approaching investors and what makes for a successul new issue. Now read on: SSA orderbooks bulge like it's January but sensitivity and ‘insecurity’ remain SSA issuers that can offer clarity will thrive in uncertainty Surging demand for euro FIG credit eases pressure for clashes in May Waterfall of sticky investors cascades into euro IG corporate bond market

    43 min
  2. APR 10

    How bond issuers will take advantage of Iran ceasefire

    Send us Fan Mail ◆ Gulf issuers turn to private markets  ◆ Public sector and corporate borrowers to bring forward plans  ◆ Banks re-enter covered and unsecured funding markets US vice-president JD Vance set off on Friday for Pakistan (pictured) for peace talks to end the war with Iran. The talks are part of a two-week ceasefire, announced on Tuesday, that rejuvenated the primary bond market. We spent much of this week's podcast discussing how public sector issuers, banks and investment grade companies would be altering their bond funding plans to take advantage of this positive but unpredictable opportunity to raise capital. Certainly the ceasefire boosted issuance activity, following Wednesday's rally in asset prices. Banks were more active in unsecured and covered bond funding and there is an urgency among market participants for IG companies and sovereigns, supranationals and agencies to use the time wisely to bring deals while they can. But as we discover, it is not quite as simple as showing up with open orderbooks, given the recent disruption to markets and what lies in store in the months ahead. We also discussed how the Iran war is the latest situation to arise from Donald Trump's second term as US president to showcase the euro market as a solid, reliable alternative to dollar funding as it begins to attract more issuance from Asia as well as the US. But for borrowers in the Middle East, public markets seem beyond the pale even with the ceasefire in place. We examine how several of the region's issuers have turned to private placements to fill their coffers.

    43 min
  3. APR 3

    The Gulf’s banks get ready for recession

    Send us Fan Mail ◆ Middle East capital securities will need to be refinanced ◆ Supranationals, agencies and municipalities have had a good war ◆ New ideas to promote covered bonds The central group of bond issuers in the Middle East are the banks. They are well capitalised, with clean balance sheets and often high credit ratings. But none has come to the market since the war began at the end of February. With fighting raging and a recession predicted, banks’ secondary spreads have widened, especially on the large quantities of subordinated capital they have issued. That is manageable, and the banks can stay out of the market for a while. But at some point they will need to return — assuming they stick to their word and call capital bonds at the first opportunity. Where are the safe haven assets? US Treasuries and Bunds are the obvious ones, but the war has made them sell off too, as investors price in rate rises. One market that has stayed remarkably resilient is non-sovereign public sector bonds. Despite all the noise, investors and issuers have remained calm throughout March, continuing to do deals at sensible spreads — and April could be busy. Covered bonds rely on a web of regulation — not just the laws that establish them in many countries, but rules governing how much capital banks have to hold against them and how they can use them for repo funding. Several major regulatory changes are in the works at once, including on risk weightings, cross-border equivalence and blockchain. And the industry has an idea of its own — a pan-European mortgage guarantee.

    36 min
  4. MAR 27

    News from the frontier: Africa leads emerging market bond revival

    Send us Fan Mail ◆ Outsiders open EM investors’ wallets ◆ European banks let their hair down in dollar market, still shy in euros ◆ Digital innovation in Frankfurt with DZ Bank Angola and African telecom company Helios Towers were hardly the issuers anyone expected to restart bond issuance from central and eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Middle East war stopped all sales for three weeks, and bankers were looking for a mainstream, investment grade issuer to reopen the market. But this week it was speculative grade African borrowers — as well as the Serbian republic within Bosnia-Herzegovina — that performed that duty, with successful deals that showed emerging market bond investors are willing to buy. Although the three issuers were all from the risky end of the spectrum, they are protected from the war’s effects. Whether investors are willing to steer closer to the Gulf’s woes will be tested in the coming weeks. Another restart happened in euro bonds for European financial institutions. The market has been bare of new issues all month. For a variety of reasons European banks have avoided their home market. Dealmaking picked up this week, with Bank of Ireland showing the way in euros — but most of the action was still in dollars. Frankfurt is an important node on Europe’s capital market blockchain network, and this week Matthias Bergner, DZ Bank’s group treasurer, joins the podcast to discuss DZ’s latest pilot digital bond, sold to KfW. DZ reckons it is the first bond in which the full lifecycle is on chain. Digitalising the bond market - sponsored interview with KfW In an interview on the GlobalCapital podcast this week, KfW's Tim Meirer and Bert Staufenbiel discuss how to move to the next stage in introducing distributed ledger technology to the bond market. They are convinced it can save time, friction, cost and risk. Interoperability of systems all along the value chain is central to the effort. Meirer and Staufenbiel highlight four essential avenues for progress: open standards, public-private partnerships, modular designs and continuous dialogue.

    48 min
  5. MAR 13

    Banks may be shut but Amazon delivers

    Send us Fan Mail ◆ Hyperscaler sets new standard for European corporate bond market  ◆ What it will it take to get a bank to issue in euros again  ◆ Iran war could reshape ultra-competitive Gulf capital markets For bond issuers to keep away from the primary bond market after a shock, like the outbreak of the war with Iran, is not unusual. But it is when only one group is steering clear when every other is issuing. For understandable reasons, there have been no bonds from the Middle East since the US and Israel began their attacks, of course. But there has been issuance from elsewhere in emerging markets. That only leaves banks issuing in euros as yet to register a deal in that time. It's even more curious when they are issuing in dollars and printing covered bonds. We examine why they are holding back and discuss how they might return. There was still plenty for investors to buy in Europe's credit markets, however. Not least was Amazon's multi-tranche blockbuster, its debut in euros. We uncover what the deal meant for investment grade corporate issuance in Europe. Finally, we discussed the changing investment banking landscape in the Gulf and how the war raises fresh questions about how sustainable the ledning and bond business is in the region. Click here to find out more about our GC Live event on corporate hybrid capital, taking palce in London on March 24. Now read on... Market debates FIG funding future in euros as primary drought extends Amazon's €14.5bn money magnet redefines what is possible in credit Iran war brings Gulf capital markets' competitiveness into question

    44 min

About

A weekly podcast from GlobalCapital, the capital markets news service based in London and New York, discussing its most interesting stories from around the world. Every Friday, listen to lively discussion about the very latest themes, the most innovative and important bond and equity issues and syndicated loans and much more from the capital markets.This podcast is for anyone working in - or who wants to work in - the capital markets from investment bankers, to funding and treasury officials, investors, lawyers, analysts, NGOs and lobbyists, regulators and policy makers, and analysts.GlobalCapital has been the "voice of the markets" for over 35 years, covering bond, loan, equity and securitisation markets around the world. We cover everything from public sector bond issuers, financial institutions, emerging markets and investment grade corporate bonds and loans to securitisation (including CLOs and ABS), regulation and market news as well as industry gossip.GlobalCapital is written for capital markets professionals but the podcast is of value to anyone with an interest in the industry, whether you have been working in it for as long as we have, or are looking to make your first career move into it.This podcast is a commute-sized slice of everything that's most interesting from the world's capital markets with the aim of helping you sound smarter in your morning meeting, or making you stand out from the crowd of other hopefuls when kick-starting your career.And don't forget, you can #AskGC anything you like and we will select the best questions to answer on the show.Contact us at podcast@globalcapital.com

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