Even with good ratings and a global brand, US tobacco company Philip Morris was taking a risk issuing in the unpredictable Euromarket. It paid off, however, when the company recorded the lowest coupon for a corporate deal.

The availability of bank credit for small and medium-sized enterprises is often seen as a relative strength of the German economy, but borrowers themselves seem to harbour anxieties about their banks.

Citi’s debt capital markets team switched nimbly between reopening Russian markets when risk appetite was high and placing Gulf state sukuk when investors searched for safety.

Closer economic integration of countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States has been discussed for many years without practical progress. The launch of a Single Economic Space between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus may be about to change that.

With the future of the euro being called into question and many developed economies struggling to grow, transaction banks are looking to take advantage of the opportunities arising from the internationalisation of the renminbi.

The Danish banking sector is adapting to new requirements that mean it must hold more capital and conform to yet more rules. While few in the industry doubt that the system must be more robust, concerns are increasingly being voiced that the country’s banks are having to adjust to more stringent regulations than their EU counterparts, and at a faster pace. 

Christophe Mianné, the new deputy of Société Générale’s corporate and investment banking operation, is targeting a change in mindset as much as a change in structure.