Insights from the Stibbe Annual Debt Finance Seminar
On 12 March 2026, the Stibbe Annual Debt Finance Seminar took place at our Amsterdam office. We explored opportunities in debt capital markets for Dutch borrowers and issuers, including in European markets and in the context of the EU's Savings and Investment Union proposals.
Marieke Driessen (partner, Stibbe) opened the seminar with an overview of current developments in debt capital markets and welcoming guests Stefan Svärd and Sebastian Söderlund of ABG Sundal Collier, the largest independent investment bank in the Nordics and Marcus Lindström of law firm Roschier. The panel discussion was moderated by Barbra Bulsing (senior associate, Stibbe).
Key take-aways from the seminar included the following.
Debt capital markets are booming and are set to grow further
Borrowing in the debt capital markets broke records in 2025 and 2026 is expected to surpass this. This is driven also by strong demand for debt funding from the digitalisation/AI, ESG and defence & security sectors. The EU is intent on further developing and deepening its debt capital markets and has made far-reaching proposals, under the EU's Savings and Investment Union (SIU), to scale investments needed to address challenges including climate change, rapid technological change and increased defence spending. The SIU proposals intend to integrate the currently fragmented regulatory landscape across all 27 EU member states.
Nordic bonds and Scandinavian capital markets as a model for Europe
The Nordic bond markets have grown significantly in recent years, with new issue volumes reaching an all-time high in 2025 and 36% of total issuance coming from non-Nordic issuers. Nordic bonds can be a useful debt financing tool for issuers without a share listing or without a public credit rating, highlighting the Nordic markets' broad accessibility. The issuance of Nordic bonds follows a streamlined process with disclosure and documentation formats that are familiar to both Nordic and international investors.
The audience consisted of financial market professionals from international corporates to financial institutions who engaged in interactive discussion with the speakers.
We look back on an insightful and well-attended seminar. If you have any questions about the seminar or about debt finance more generally, please contact Marieke Driessen.
