In a year dominated by the collapse and takeover of Credit Suisse, financial institutions were keen to re‑establish investor confidence in some of the riskier asset classes. Axa led the way just weeks after the CS rescue with a €1bn subordinated bond. In the autumn, UBS made a bold statement about the stability of Swiss bank capital as it returned to AT1 issuance with two $1.75bn tranches. Elsewhere, banks dealt with tricky conditions and pulled off some skilfully timed transactions, underlining the market’s faith in mainstream currencies and emphasising the appeal of ESG labels