Banco Santander (Brasil) SA (BSBR), through its Grand Cayman branch, raised CHF150 million through a bond issue that priced Thursday afternooon, according to sources familiar with the deal.

This comes on the heels of a CHF300 million issue Monday by Petroleos Mexicanos. The Mexican oil producer was the first Latin American company to resume Swiss franc issuance this year, according to Dealogic data. It sold seven year bonds with a coupon of 2.5% to private bank investors, portfolio managers, and institutional investors in Switzerland, the company said.

Emerging market companies have increased their issuance in Swiss francs, with the total issuance climbing up to CHF5.53 billion last year, Dealogic data showed.

Thursday, Banco Santander returned to the Swiss franc market after having raised a similar amount last May. This time, Banco Santander priced at 100.102 on the 3.25% coupon bond due April 12, 2016.

Emerging market companies and sovereigns have tapped the bond markets aggressively this year. So far these entities have raised $94.359 billion in dollar-denominated debt, and are expected to reach the $100 billion mark before the end of this quarter.

-By Prabha Natarajan, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2468; prabha.natarajan@dowjones.com