Projects & Infrastructure
Zimbabwe Recovery Huge Boon for Foreign Banks, Credit Markets – If Regulators Can Pull Off Reforms
With Zimbabwe’s infamous revolutionary-turned-dictator Robert Mugabe out and one of his main rivals left to pick up the pieces of an economy in tatters, the country’s prospects are anything but clear. Analysts are optimistic that policymakers can find a path to normalisation – creating significant opportunities for international and regional lenders, and the country’s credit markets, in the…
30 Jan 2018
Sunny Outlook for Egypt’s Renewables as DFIs Make Way for Commercial Banks
The first two stages of the Egyptian government’s solar and wind programme have been somewhat hit-and-miss, but increased development bank involvement sets the next stage on a path to encourage wider private sector participation. Third time’s a charm – but only if local and commercial lenders play their part, analysts suggest.
23 Jan 2018
CASE STUDY: Blackrock and Citi Conjure Up Dual Tranche Hybrid for Mexico Port Construction
The Lazaro Cardenas Port Logistics (LCPL) project’s complex financing structure, including dual bank and bond financings, allowed the borrower to navigate around construction risks and achieve the full 15-year tenor.
11 Jan 2018
CASE STUDY: Autopista del Sol's Dual-Currency Project Bond for Strategic Toll Road a Landmark Debut
Ruta 27’s amortizing USD300mn international 144A/RegS notes and USD50.75mn Costa Rican notes represent its inaugural debut in the international and local Costa Rican debt capital markets.
6 Dec 2017
CASE STUDY: KNPC Seals USD6.245bn Loan in Largest ECA-Backed Corporate Transaction Ever
Kuwait National Petroleum Company’s (KNPC) USD6.245bn ECA-backed loan was a triumph for the company’s Clean Fuel Project and the region’s credit markets, setting a new record for the largest ECA-backed corporate loan to date.
5 Dec 2017
Latin American Governments Welcome Back Miners With Open Arms, Local Communities Less So
2017 marks the first year since 2013 that mining majors are seriously kicking the tires of Latin American mining assets. Revitalized miner balance sheets, positive trending metal prices and welcoming gestures from national governments all fuel the rising appetite for acquisitions in Latin America.
4 Dec 2017
EuroChem Focussed on Latin America, Asia as Fertilizer Industry Recovers
Over the past year, Russian fertilizer giant EuroChem Group AG has made great strides in opening new markets, tapping the growing demand in Asia and Latin America, and spending over USD6bn on two mines to produce potash, a high-quality soil fertilizer. Bonds & Loans catches up with the company’s CFO Andrey Ilyin to discuss the industry outlook, the company’s financing plans for 2018, and how it…
28 Nov 2017
Latin America Credit Markets Brief: 9 November – 23 November
Brazil to buy back USD1.82bn of sovereign bonds – Pemex issued a GBP450mn bond – Petrobras inked a USD1bn secured loan – Chile holds rates – Electricidad de Caracas defaulted in a 2018 bond – Venezuela gets downgraded to ‘SD’ – Venezulean authorities arrested top Citgo executives – Entre Rios tapped the international markets with a USD150mn
23 Nov 2017
Middle East Credit Markets Brief: 09 November – 22 November
Kingdom Holdings halts borrowing plans – Citigroup will begin operations in KSA in early 2018 – London Court rules in favour of Dana’s bondholders – ADNOC secures USD6bn dual-tranche loan – Mazoon Electric Company issues a USD500mn sukuk – Lebanon carries out a debt swap – CIB to increase Tier 2 capital
22 Nov 2017
China’s Funding Options for Belt & Road: Will Emerging Markets Make Hay or Get Shut Out?
Unperturbed by global economic woes, geopolitical tensions and the rise of populism in the West, China is committing itself to the largest infrastructure development project since the Great Wall. But the costs of the grand project are expected to run into hundreds of billions of dollars and, with the Chinese banking sector already over-leveraged, questions arise over its ability to finance…
21 Nov 2017