US investment bank Jefferies said it may face losses of up to US$715m from exposure to the collapse of bankrupt auto parts company First Brands. It may not be the only bank to rack up losses.

The International Monetary Fund is likely to adopt a more confident tone in dealing with the world’s financial problems when its member countries meet this week in Washington now that a key actor in US president Donald Trump’s administration has taken a senior role at the fund.

Financial services M&A is having its best year since 2021 as chief executives pull the trigger on deals that have been on the board for a while, such as HSBC's US$13.6bn move to buy all of Hang Seng Bank in Hong Kong. Other deals, such as Fifth Third Bancorp’s US$10.9bn takeover of Comerica, have snapped into place more quickly. 

Japan’s private equity exit environment is booming as a drive for corporate governance reforms and improvements in shareholder value has made companies more receptive to deals, prompting more global players to consider the market. 

French financial issuers rushed into the primary market on Monday while others steered clear, with AXA and La Mondiale taking their chance to execute subordinated transactions amid uncertain political developments as BPCE sealed a convincing €1bn four-year covered bond.

Angola has become the latest high-yield sovereign to issue bonds in recent weeks with a US$1.75bn dual-tranche deal on Tuesday that summed up how open primary markets are for even the most challenged credits.

As markets obsess over artificial intelligence and the potential profits it might reap, US junk bond investors are trying to find ways to play the AI theme in an asset class that provides few opportunities to gain any upside from the emerging technology.

BPCE, a regular issuer of French public prime RMBS since 2018, priced the first deal from its newly created master trust programme amid good investor interest, despite political turbulence in France.

DCS Card Centre, formerly known as Diners Club Singapore, is evaluating asset-backed securitisations in US dollars, it said in response to IFR queries after the successful completion of its most recent S$450m (US$348.8m) ABS deal – its largest yet. 

Commonwealth Bank of Australia returned to the RMBS market after a two-year absence on Thursday to print the A$1.5bn (US$990m) self-led funding-only Medallion Trust Series 2025-1, which sets a new benchmark for Australian securitisations.  

Cajun Global is cooking up a US$325m whole business securitisation that will refinance the ABS offering that backed its purchase of the Church's Texas Chicken franchiser in 2021.

Global loan trade associations are getting ready to launch a dedicated transition label that could encourage more high-emitting companies to raise labelled loans to fund decarbonisation.

The Czech Republic has breathed fresh life into the stalled sovereign social bond market with a rare issue that also ended the European Union member state’s longstanding absence from ESG bond markets.

The US solar asset-backed securities sector has regained some lustre, proving it is still a viable funding source for renewable energy issuers after a rough summer that cast a shadow over its future.

While the demise of the UN-sponsored Net Zero Banking Alliance's seemed inevitable after an exodus of top international banks, it does not detract from its achievements. 

 LG Electronics India debuted 50% higher after completing a Rs116bn (US$1.31bn) IPO.

Investors made significant profits last week from Verisure's €3.155bn float, the largest IPO of the year globally, building on improved sentiment towards European ECM as IPOs trade up, difficult capital raises get done and London witnesses a mini listing revival.

MapLight Therapeutics, a biotech company developing treatments for Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia, moved ahead with its Nasdaq IPO last week despite the ongoing US government shutdown, using a mechanism that means it can go public in October without further regulatory approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Maynilad Water Services is optimistic about completing its up to Ps25.3bn (US$437m) IPO thanks to the backing of cornerstone investors and an attractive dividend yield, even as the broader market outlook is weak.

India’s central bank is proposing a major liberalisation of the complex rules governing offshore borrowing that could broaden the sources of foreign capital for the country's companies.

Opella has broken free of the shackles of call protection to reprice the term loan Bs tied to its buyout by Clayton Dubilier & Rice, and Apleona could potentially follow suit with a material pricing move in mind.

As private credit makes a bid to reach the masses, more asset managers are testing the viability of the asset class in exchange-traded funds, which typically hold more liquid investments.

CIMIC Group has more than doubled a loan to A$1.27bn-equivalent (US$841m) after attracting a blowout response from almost 30 banks, despite no participation from the Taiwanese lenders that are usually top players in the Asia Pacific loan market.