CFO Insights
SRC CEO on Balancing Funding, Increasing Home Ownership, and Avoiding Western-Style Hubris
The Saudi government has set itself the ambitious task of turning roughly 70% of the population into homeowners, leading to a rapid step-up in mortgage provision and bolstering the need for balance sheet solutions required to keep the all-important liquidity wheel turning. That’s where Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC) comes into the picture. We speak with Fabrice Susini, the CEO of SRC,…
4 Dec 2019
Azizi Developments CFO Sees UAE Property Market Recovery in 2020
The UAE property market has made headlines throughout 2018 and 2019 – but largely for the wrong reasons, with oversupply and subdued demand straining balance sheets against the backdrop of sluggish economic growth. But not all property developers seem downbeat about the sector’s prospects. Fresh off securing the company’s debut credit rating, Mika Toivola, CFO, of Azizi Developments, a…
13 Nov 2019
GEMS Education CFO on Scaling the Multijurisdictional Treasury, Funding, and New Opportunities
An exclusive Bonds & Loans interview Ed Senior, acting CFO of GEMS Education, on the company's recent bond placement, acquisition of Ma’arif Education Group and key focus areas for 2020.
7 Nov 2019
SOCAR Finance GM Pursues Trade Finance Alternatives Following STAR Refinery Launch
SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state oil and gas company, currently bears the mantle of the largest foreign direct investor in Turkey. The opening of SOCAR’s USD6.3bn STAR Refinery in October 2018 marked one of many major projects in the country. Bonds & Loans spoke with Elchin Ibadov, Finance and IT Deputy General Manager, about SOCAR’s bid to create a centralised treasury function, fostering operational…
24 Oct 2019
Grupo Argos CFO on Sector Strategy, Picking Relationship Banks, and Sustainability
Grupo Argos S.A is a Colombian conglomerate with large investments in the cement and energy industries, with operations in the United States, Panamá, Honduras and the Caribbean, and assets in various sectors from transport to real estate. The Group’s CFO Alejandro Piedrahita spoke with Bonds & Loans to discuss the group’s major businesses, the company’s bold new bid to build a new logistics hub…
15 Oct 2019
Usiminas Completes Debt Refinancing, Sees Upside in Steel Demand Despite Oil Price Spike
Back in 2016, Brazilian steel maker Usiminas looked to be entering dire straits: the company was forced to renegotiate 92% of its debt and has been absent from the international bond markets since 2008. But as net debt fell to BRL5.5bn in 2019, its amortisation schedule improved and global funding conditions became more favourable amid rate cuts, the steelmaker returned to the international…
4 Oct 2019
Following Divestment, Forte Upstream Services CFO Mulls Expansion into E&P
Following the conclusion of the divestment of its downstream and power generation businesses, Bonds & Loans speaks with Idris Olufowobi, Chief Financial Officer of recently formed Forte Upstream Services Ltd. about the company’s funding objectives and challenges, and discusses why the company is assessing a move into the exploration & production space.
17 Sept 2019
Benin Minister of Finance on the Country’s Successful Eurobond Debut, Reform, and Development
Benin’s debut Eurobond issuance was one of the top sovereign transactions of 2019, decisively putting the country on the map for EM investors. Bonds & Loans caught up with the country’s young and enthusiastic Minister of Finance, Romuald Wadagni, to discuss the government’s borrowing strategy, the country’s impressive growth story, and progress on key reforms.
11 Sept 2019
IFC Treasurer: “Global debt markets are undergoing rapid transformation”
Bond markets are not particularly well-known for being cutting edge. The vast majority of trading still takes place over the phone, and the settlement process more often than not still takes days rather than hours or minutes. But in emerging markets, where funding innovation is helping borrowers overcome capital bottlenecks and Fintech is enabling new pockets of growth, that perception is…
10 Sept 2019
Viathan Group CFO: “Banks that don’t embrace fintech will be replaced”
Viathan Group is an emerging energy player in the power and gas sector in Nigeria but in financing circles, the company is perhaps best known for its innovative 2018 infrastructure bond issuance – when it pioneered a new structure for the country’s capital markets. Babajide Ibironke, the Group’s CFO, talks to Bonds & Loans about the company’s growth ambitions and funding strategy, overcoming the…
6 Sept 2019