Asean

VietinBank, one of the four largest state owned commercial lenders from Vietnam, is accessing the offshore syndicated loan market for the third time this year, via a $100m three year that is now in general syndication. The margin on the loan is below 200bp.

Malaysia’s Johor Corp (JCorp) has fixed the pricing of its Al-Salam Reit IPO at MR1 ($0.25) per unit, with bookbuilding scheduled to begin at the start of September.

A $550m borrowing for Bank Rakyat Indonesia’s (BRI), which is due to be prefunded by a club of 11 banks, is expected to go into general syndication. Lenders are waiting for Bank Indonesia approval and are targeting signing by the end of August, with the first drawdown in the first week of September.

The Government of the Union of Myanmar has hired Citi and Standard Chartered as sovereign credit rating advisers as it looks to pave its way to the international debt market.

A Standard Chartered led borrowing for automobile parts maker Zhongding Hong Kong will see the company fully exercise a greenshoe, taking the loan size to €150m ($165m). Eight banks have committed to the facility during general syndication and two more are processing their approvals.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has received approval to provide a loan and partial credit guarantee to support the issuance of what could be the Philippines’ first green bond.

Department store operator Metro Retail Stores Group is gearing up for a fourth quarter listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange having filed its preliminary prospectus on August 9.

Asia's high yield bond market finally saw some overdue activity over the past week, with four deals pricing. But the sector is by no means invincible — eHi Car Services had to pull a deal amid tepid demand. But despite that setback, bankers are confident of printing more deals through the summer, writes Narae Kim.

The recent move by two Asian oil companies to change covenants on existing borrowings has prompted a debate on whether more of their industry peers will follow suit. Some bankers believe the reality of a lower oil price environment justifies the revisions, while others are convinced the changes reflect the needs specific to these companies, rather than their sector, writes Shruti Chaturvedi.

Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) is said to have chosen three lenders to arrange its financing of up to $300m.

The departure of a key southeast Asia banker from a global firm has thrust the region back into the spotlight, with banks battening down the hatches in expectation of a prolonged slump. Recruiters foresee another purge in jobs before the year is out, writes John Loh.

The Kingdom of Thailand is gearing up for its third inflation-linked bond, having appointed a trio of banks to arrange the deal.