Argentina has taken its first concrete step to address holdout creditors and eventually return to the international markets by filing a $15bn debt shelf with the SEC. The move has been expected from the sovereign, which has said it plans to unveil a proposal to holdouts from its 2005 restructuring as soon as January. Those investors hold some $20bn in defaulted debt. The documents don’t offer details of a first issue. The proceeds are to be used “for the general purposes of the government of Argentina, including the refinancing, repurchase or retirement of its domestic and external indebtedness.” Argentina’s finance ministry announced this week that the government would create a fund with about $6.66bn of its international reserves, to be used to service and guarantee debt payments.