After Korea earned an AA rating back in 2012, its highest rated credits opened the path to a global and diversified investor base for Korean issuers.
Things are still far from normal. In fact, what was once deemed to constitute normality may never return. There are signs, however, that the world is beginning to emerge from the darkest days of the past 18 months, although there is no doubting it will be an uphill struggle.
When the European Investment Bank priced its first digital bond in April, it not only signified an inflection point in the digitalisation of the capital markets but represented another example of the bank’s commitment to developing the financial markets.
India is moving up a gear in the global bond markets as companies look offshore and investors embrace high-quality and sustainable assets.
Moving on: There can be little doubt as to the topic that was front and centre of most everyone’s minds over the past year. The coronavirus pandemic cast a lengthy shadow and dominated all walks of life in ways unthinkable in a pre-Covid world. Governments around the globe implemented various initiatives in attempts to mitigate its effects. And all this came at a tremendous financial cost, leading to fundraising on an unprecedented scale as support packages were put in place.
Australia’s easy-money policies are stoking demand for corporate bonds, especially from companies with a strong environmental or social story to tell.
