Asean

Singapore is finalising plans to make it easier for retail investors to buy local currency corporate bonds.

Commodity trader Trafigura has returned for its annual Asian financing, seeking $1.6bn from the offshore loan market. A number of existing lenders have formed the mandated lead arranger and bookrunner group for the deal, which mirrors the company’s 2014 fundraising in structure.

Singapore listed property developer Oxley Holdings has launched an S$110m ($80m) two year bullet into the market. The company has picked one bank to arrange the financing, which offers a margin that steps up based on time elapsed.

Tata Steel is looking to reprice a $3.1bn refinancing it sealed in 2014 and has asked banks on that deal for feedback. Although the loan is not performing remarkably in secondary, the company will be able to cut costs thanks to its solid banking relationships, said a source who worked on the 2014 borrowing.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Singapore has completed the first onshore RMB repo transaction among foreign institutions, after the Chinese central bank gave the green light to offshore RMB clearing banks and RMB clearing correspondent banks to participate in the onshore repo market.

Existing shareholders have sprung into action to support Jardine Cycle & Carriage’s S$1.0bn ($729m) one-for-nine rights issue, with the deal ending up well oversubscribed.

Wealth and asset management firm Northern Trust Corporation has bumped up two of its veteran employees as the company focuses on growth in Asia Pacific.

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar could soon be making waves in the international debt market, having enlisted the help of Citi and Standard Chartered to attain its first credit rating.

Thai Union Frozen Products Public Company opened books for a Bt12.72bn ($371m) preferential public offering on Monday, July 20, following non-deal roadshows that brought some positive feedback from the investor community.

Chinese wealth management service provider Jupai Holdings priced its $53m IPO on the New York Stock Exchange at the bottom end of guidance on July 16, as its selling shareholders reined in the number of secondary shares on offer.

Philippine oil refining company Petron Corp has lined up seven banks to lead its $550m refinancing loan. The deal is likely to go into further syndication sometime in August, according to a source.

Korea Development Bank (KDB) made a rare venture into Singapore dollars, pricing a S$200m ($146.8m) three year bond. The deal was not only KDB’s biggest deal in the currency, but it was also the largest issue by a Korean name.