Asia Pacific

Shandong International Trust Co’s $300m IPO in Hong Kong has been given the go-ahead by the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

Maybank Kim Eng’s chief executive officer for Hong Kong and China has left the firm, according to sources close to the matter.

While all eyes are focused on the Brexit process, the Bank of England (BoE) has quietly begun publishing numbers that support London's claim to be the leading RMB hubs in Europe. Meanwhile, market participants continue debate the relevance of the upcoming China-London Connect scheme.

Star Energy is borrowing $1.9bn via two facilities for its acquisition of Chevron’s assets in Indonesia, as strong early interest from banks revealed plenty of available liquidity for M&A into the country. Loans bankers expect more action from the export-oriented nation, following the recovery in commodity prices. Shruti Chaturvedi reports.

Singapore Telecommunications is working with DBS, Morgan Stanley and UBS to lead the $2bn IPO of its broadband unit NetLink Trust.

China Grand Automotive is in the market for a $591m equivalent dual currency syndicated loan. The deal comes less than two months after it raised funds from a bond issue.

Ashurst has appointed Pui Hong Chik as a partner in its corporate practice in Hong Kong to bolster its Greater China business, the law firm said on Thursday.

Most of Asia's equity capital markets were still waking up from the post-holiday slumber this week but bankers in India were on their toes, with IPO activity in the country continuing apace.

China Singyes Solar Technologies Holdings sealed its debut dollar bond on Wednesday after pricing was tightened by an impressive 55bp. Strong market conditions, a familiar name and the deal’s structure played well together for the unrated trade, reckon market participants.

An old chum of mine decided to host a round of poker for his banker colleagues in his apartment last week, deciding to ring in the New Year with a spot of gambling.

The Reserve Bank of India is giving lenders a helping hand when it comes to paying coupons on their additional tier one debt, by allowing them to dip into their statutory reserves. Although the flexibility on coupon payments is beneficial, weaker banks will still struggle to come offshore for capital. Addison Gong reports.

Cornerstone investors taking up huge chunks of Hong Kong IPOs have caused much controversy in recent years, but that looks set to change. China’s foreign exchange regulator has provided a new route for investing in the city’s listings, which is expected to diversify the pool of potential cornerstones beyond the typical state-owned enterprises, and friends and family investors. Jonathan Breen reports.