Commerzbank’s bold liability management exercise – the first to address Basel III at both ends of the capital structure – shows that banks need not wait for national and European regulators to finalise minimum capital requirements. It also serves as a possible blueprint for Germany’s other banks to strengthen their capital base.
The relative resiliance of Africa's financial markets to social and political unrest in the north, and to the default of Côte d'Ivoire on last year's global bond, suggest that the continent's markets have taken one more step towards greater sophistication. Investors are increasingly differentiating one from another.
With all eyes on the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, the success of two consecutive offerings would be critical in underpinning the European response. The market's reaction to the issues from the European Financial Stability Mechanism and European Financial Stability Facility was conclusive.
The global interest in HSBC's recent IPO for Palestinian telecoms company Wataniya Mobile was not only a big success for the young telco, but also for Palestine in general, as it showed that the territory is a safe and potentially lucrative destination for capital markets.