European Leveraged Finance Client Alert Series: July 2022

The European non-performing loan landscape looks very different in 2022, with large deals driven by urgent government regulation supplanted by small but steady opportunities.

What does the future hold for NPLs? There's still plenty of business to be done, but buyers and sellers alike will need to change tack to get the most from the available opportunities.

Europe's banks continue to defy expectations—not a single country saw its banking sector’s NPL ratio increase in 2021, with the vast majority reporting an improvement.

While the spike in bad debt and subsequent tsunami of NPL and non-core loan deals that was anticipated due to COVID-19 did not materialise, the increasingly volatile market trends may lead investors to discover new and unexpected opportunities.

Despite a decline in overall bond and loan issuance in the Latin American region, ESG-linked debt issuance thrived in 2021—and looks set to continue in the months ahead  

IPOs boomed in 2021, with both the number of new listings and the total proceeds raised breaking records. But dealmakers face a tougher road ahead.  

The dust is settling after the flurry of activity in 2021, and the IPO market is facing considerable headwinds. The following key themes could dominate equity market headlines in 2022

IPOs of Latin America-based companies enjoyed a robust year in 2021, especially when it came to listings in Brazil in sectors like fintech

While IPO activity was robust throughout Europe, the Nordic region stood out

After a flurry of new listings in the first quarter of 2021, SPAC IPOs slowed down considerably, but the asset class remains a viable path for companies to go public

Fueled by strong stock markets and the need for yield, investors poured money into IPOs in 2021, resulting in a record-breaking year

After weathering pandemic-related disruption early in 2021, Latin American loan and bond markets remained open for business, with bonds leading the way

A combination of SPACs, pent-up demand from pandemic-shocked 2020 and a wave of technology listings drove the IPO market to record highs 

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to escalate, ensuring wellbeing of employees is paramount, but it is not the only challenge. There is a vast sway of operational and legal issues that businesses must address, too.

Real estate sector headwinds stifled high yield markets in the Asia-Pacific region, but loan issuance went from strength to strength to post double-digit gains  

Leveraged loan and high yield bond markets in Western and Southern Europe saw a major resurgence in the past 12 months, driven initially by refinancing, followed by almost unprecedented M&A and buyout issuance, and setting the stage for, on balance, a productive year ahead  

Financial stimulus and sustained investor appetite for yield have seen US CLO issuance scale record heights  

Large double-digit gains in US loan issuance meant leveraged finance markets ended 2021 with a bang and set the stage for robust activity in 2022  

Following a year of healthy activity, M&A deals in the pipeline are set to sustain leveraged finance issuance in the pharmaceutical, medical and biotech sector in the months ahead.

European leveraged finance markets rebounded in the past 12 months, driven  by enthusiastic refinancing activity and a resurgent M&A marketplace, setting the  stage for a healthy year ahead

A flurry of activity saw year-on-year leveraged finance issuance in Europe hit new heights in 2021. Can this pace be maintained in the months ahead? Based on pipeline activity and investor appetite for growth, the answer seems to be: Yes.