LONDON (Reuters) - The average number of European primary dealers has risen for the first time in three years, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) said in its first quarter government bond report on Tuesday.
According to the industry body, between January and June of this year, two banks exited their primary dealer roles and 11 joined, affecting nine European countries.
The net increase in the number of active primary dealers in European debt markets meant the average number of European primary dealers has risen for the first time in three 3 years, AFME said.
The first quarter report also showed 18.6 billion euros of green bonds were issued, the highest quarterly issuance of green government bonds in Europe to date.
AFME said government bond trading volumes decreased 1.9% year-on-year in the first quarter but were up almost 19% on a quarterly basis.