On 26 April, 2016, the Council of the Financial and Capital Market Commission approved registration of the Base Prospectus of ABLV Bank, AS, Sixth Bond Offer Programme, allowing the bank to perform public offering of debt securities amounting to EUR 400 million or equivalent amount in USD, pursuant to the particular final terms of public offer.

In March, global financial markets demonstrated positive mood which emerged in the second half of the previous month. Support provided to the markets by the ECB and FRS eventually affected investors. On 10 March, during its meeting, the ECB lowered the refinancing rate from 0.05% to 0.00%, the deposit rate from -0.3% to -0.4%, the credit interest rate from 0.3% to 0.25%, as well as announced the expansion of the quantitative easing programme from EUR 60 to 80 billion per month including corporate bonds and new series of targeted long-term repo operations (TLTRO) for a term of 4 years.

February turned out to be as stressful for global financial markets as January. It seemed that the massive “January counterattacks” of the leading central banks, namely, their promises to apply additional means for priming of economy, if necessary, suspended panic sales on risk asset markets, which were due to the “inadequate situation” in Chinese capital market.

Under the bond issue programme, ABLV Bank, AS has performed two new coupon bond issues, their total size amounting to USD 75 million and EUR 20 million at face value. During initial placement, the bonds were acquired by more than 190 investors.

In the financial markets January appeared to be depressing. For the global stock market the beginning of the year was among the worst ones in recent decades. Sharp drop of prices in the markets once again started with the collapse at the Chinese stock exchange.

The last month of the year 2015 was a big disappointment to almost all asset investors. Contrary to the traditional Santa Claus rally, financial markets demonstrated a strongly negative return.