The COVID-19 pandemic has convulsed the global economy, unevenly weighing on some of the world’s largest emerging markets – not the least of which countries with a heavy dependence on oil revenues. For CFOs and Treasurers based in the GCC region, the pandemic was a crude awakening which quickly led to a liquidity squeeze that is only just starting to ease as a ‘new normal’ begins to set in. Bonds & Loans speaks with Chiradeep Deb, Managing Director and Global Head of Investment Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking Group at Mashreqbank about what that new normal looks like, and how borrowers who need to achieve funding objectives in a tough environment can differentiate themselves in the eyes of lenders and capital allocators.