How CoCo bonds became indispensable for banks

9 May 2024BanksAT1, bank capital, Basel rules, CoCo bonds, corporate bonds, Credit SuisseNick Dunbar

A year on from Credit Suisse, AT1 securities remain an essential part of bank Tier 1 capital, as our corporate bond tool preview shows

The rise of the leveraged brokers

24 April 2024Insurancehigh yield bonds, insurance brokers, M&A, mergers & acquisitionsNick Dunbar

Private equity has come to dominate capital markets by means of debt-fuelled acquisitions. As a case study, we explore junk-rated insurance brokers using the Risky Finance corporate bond tool

UK motor finance scandal reawakens ghost of PPI

11 April 2024BanksBarclays, Lloyds Banking Group, mis-selling, motor finance, NatWest Group, operational riskNick Dunbar

Our banking tool shows how payment protection insurance was a ‘slow burn’ op risk event that eventually cost UK banks $60bn. Could something similar happen with motor finance?

Smoke, mirrors and net interest margins

2 April 2024BanksAccounting, Barclays, derivatives, hedging, HSBCNick Dunbar

UK banks use accounting tricks and derivatives to boost their net interest margins, and HSBC is under pressure to follow suit.

The self-fulfilling prophecy of public sector pensions

22 March 2024Pensions, Risk Commentaryeducation, pensions, public policy, schoolsNick Dunbar

How costly are unfunded public sector defined benefit pensions? The question looms large in the economic future of the UK.

HSBC’s overvalued Chinese bank

12 March 2024BanksAccounting, China, HSBCNick Dunbar

Experts say HSBC’s BoCom stake is overvalued by $12 bn. Risky Finance trawled through ten years of data to understand the giant’s accounting controversy.

Cargo ships on fire off the shoulder of Africa

26 February 2024EconomicsInternational Monetary Fund, sovereign debtNick Dunbar

A new visualisation of IMF lending this century tracks geopolitical trends and allows the effectiveness of IMF support to be assessed.

Market RWAs, trading revenues and the Basel Endgame proposal

26 January 2024Banksbank capital, Basel rules, Federal Reserve, tradingNick Dunbar

Banks complain that customers will lose access to capital markets products, but the Fed isn’t buying their argument. Use Risky Finance data to assess the debate between the Fed and the banks.