Asia Pacific

Khazanah Nasional is looking to hire banks for its return to the equity-linked market via an exchangeable sukuk, just eight months after its last issue.

Invitations are out for a $500m three year borrowing for State Bank of India, which has lined up 13 lenders to lead the deal with the money funded in March.

The senior syndication phase for a $400m loan for Malaysian lender CIMB is close to completion, with three banks joining mandated lead arranger and bookrunner Standard Chartered.

Korea Expressway Corp snapped up $400m on a busy Tuesday that saw eight bonds marketed in Asia ex-Japan. Although floating rate notes are gaining popularity in a rising rate environment, the region’s bond market will continue to be focused on fixed rate deals, reckoned market participants.

The annual Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament is infamous for being the city's premier weekend of debauchery. Drinks flow and tongues wag, but the matches and related events also offer great opportunities to see and be seen.

Kingboard Chemical Holdings raised HK$1.2bn ($152.5m) after paring down its stake in Kingboard Laminates Holdings on Tuesday via a block driven by reverse enquiry.

The slightly softer tone in the Asian markets on Tuesday did not deter issuers from flocking to the debt market, with as many as eight borrowers bagging new bonds. And the momentum continued on Wednesday, with a handful of firms opening their transactions.

India’s divestment body has sent out requests for proposals seeking firms to run divestments in a host of companies from the energy sector to shipbuilding and weapons manufacturing.

Deutsche Bank has appointed former Goldman Sachs banker Anthony Miller as its new chief executive for Australia and New Zealand.

A stable renminbi will make Chinese bonds and equities more attractive, but China will need to enhance the sophistication of its market before it can attract foreign capital on scale, according to Helen Zhu, head of China equities at BlackRock.

Two large emerging market corporates were out with multi-tranche deals on Tuesday, Kazakhstan’s state owned oil company and Abu Dhabi sovereign investment fund Mubadala.

Hong Kong’s market regulator has laid out its approach for the listing of infrastructure project companies, addressing potential risks from IPOs in the sector.