Asia Pacific

What I would not give to be one of those guys who has a helicopter at his beck and call, a limousine and a personal assistant whose sole responsibility is to make life easy and organised.

New York-listed aircraft leasing company Aircastle has sent invitations for a $75m unsecured financing through a single mandated lead arranger and bookrunner.

China’s Panda bond market is gaining traction with the National Bank of Canada (NBC) establishing a Rmb5bn ($750m) programme, becoming only the second issuer from the country to seek onshore renminbi.

Hong Kong conglomerate New World Development benefited from a market pick-up on Wednesday, with its strong household name helping it raise $1.2bn from a perpetual non-call five bond.

It has been a busy period for the structured finance community in China with three lenders securitizing a combined Rmb3.28bn ($491m) worth of non-performing loans (NPLs) in the space of a week.

CK Hutchison raised $1.25bn and another €1bn ($1.12bn) on Wednesday, whetting investors’ appetite with a good marketing strategy and wise timing, according to bankers.

Construction equipment maker Doosan Bobcat and Netmarble Games are on track with their respective IPOs, with the former set to become the largest listing in South Korea since 2012.

Unrated HNA Group made a quick return with a $200m bond this week, just one month after its last offering. On the same day, Kawasan Industri Jababeka from Indonesia also priced an exchange offer for its existing 2019s.

Major corporates have been quick to spot the potential of the Formosa market, with names including Apple, Électricité de France and Anheuser-Busch InBev selling multi-billion dollar transactions. Ample liquidity and a savvy investor base means corporate issuance of Formosa bonds is only set to grow. Elliot Wilson reports.

Foreign banks would be remiss to ignore Taiwan’s Formosa market when it comes to bank capital fundraising after the country introduced regulations that allow lenders to sell dollar-denominated tier twos domestically. Yet even though a number of banks have been quick to take advantage, Taiwan will need to consider further relaxations if it wants to attract more names. Tanya Angerer reports.

There is plenty that links Asia with the Middle East across economics, culture and politics with countries in both regions keen to take advantage of the opportunities. But progress on capitalising on those connections has been slower than expected, writes Elliot Wilson.

There has never been a better time to be an FX banker in Asia as the region captures a bigger share of global activity driven by the rise of the renminbi and increased capital flows to and from the continent. Technology is also playing a bigger role but the best franchises from Asiamoney’s FX Poll 2016 combine that with top notch advisory, and geographical and product clout. Lorraine Cushnie reports.