Deals from New Zealand issuers in the Australian market revved up in a big way in 2023. There are a raft of reasons why the Kangaroo market should remain attractive to opportunistic New Zealand borrowers into 2024 – provided market fundamentals, including basis swap dynamics, are supportive.

Australian dollar corporate supply in 2023 was hampered by uncertainty amid a higher interest-rate environment and a lack of immediate funding need. This caused some issuers to hold off entirely, while others accessed more competitive offshore capital markets. But by year-end, early signs pointed to a more active 2024.

Contact Energy says it has long-term plans to build out its presence in the Australian dollar market following a well-received Kangaroo green-bond debut. The issuer is the fourth New Zealand-based corporate name to print an Australian dollar transaction this year and the second in November.

The KangaNews New Zealand Debt Capital Market Summit took place in Auckland in September, at a critical juncture for all of the local political, economic, market and environmental transition stories. Conversations at the conference were more wide-ranging than ever, with contributions from the political, business and markets sectors at a moment when the agenda for the coming years is being formed in real time.