Asean

Noble Group has wrapped up a new $1.1bn borrowing, making a comeback to the loan market just six months after completing a larger syndication.

Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city (SSTEC) and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp are both eyeing the offshore bond market, with the issuers hiring banks for their respective offerings.

Bank of Jinzhou Co has filed afresh for a $600m IPO in Hong Kong, which was delayed in June due to regulatory issues and scrutiny around its loan exposure to the Hanergy Group.

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) is looking to refine its criteria for the listing of companies in the mineral, oil and gas exploration or extraction (MOG) sectors on its bourse, with the regulator releasing a consultation paper on October 15.

Singapore-listed Frasers Centrepoint (FCL) has signed a £300m ($468.5m) five year acquisition loan via Frasers Hospitality UK Holdings.

Kino Indonesia has started pre-marketing its IPO to investors, as the fast-moving consumer goods company seeks $100m to $150m from a domestic listing.

Australia and New Zealand Bank and Crédit Agricole have beefed up their respective Asian loans teams with new appointments.

BoC Aviation has notched up a new landmark for Asia by becoming the first issuer from the region to sell an aircraft leasing ABS. Market observers are buoyed by the landmark transaction and hope it will spur similar deals from Asia and particularly China, writes Rev Hui.

The Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) is set to welcome only its third IPO since the bourse opened in 2012, as a state-owned port operator looks to list this month. While progress has been slow in its equity capital market, rising interest from foreign investors and a much-needed push from the government may turn the tide. John Loh reports.

The next stage of RMB internationalisation needs to focus on improving the connectivity between the onshore and offshore market to improve liquidity. This could be done encouraging more foreign entities to raise funds through Panda bonds and providing more offshore investment routes for onshore RMB, says Zhang Weiwu, general manager of ICBC Singapore, to GlobalRMB.

Indonesia Infrastructure Finance (IIF) has returned to the offshore loan market after more than a year for a $150m fundraising, which is backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Activity in Asia’s secondary loan market has picked up over the past few months as banks seek to manage their portfolios more efficiently. This is attracting intermediaries such as fixed income specialist SC Lowy, which has set up a par loan trading business in the region. But while there are opportunities, there are also plenty of challenges holding back growth in the nascent market, writes Shruti Chaturvedi.