Asia Pacific

Thailand’s CP Foods Holdings has raised $300m from an exchangeable bond, returning to the equity-linked market after a hiatus of nearly three years.

Veolia Environnement priced its debut Panda bond on September 1, becoming the first French issuer to tap the onshore Chinese market. The firm was also one of the first corporates to be allowed to repatriate funds out of China despite ongoing capital controls, its treasurer told GlobalRMB.

Mercuria Asia Group Holdings and Mercuria Energy Trading are gauging interest from lenders for a joint loan of $900m, according to bankers.

Gold One Group, which produces low-cost gold in South Africa and is part of the Citic Group, is laying the groundwork for a Hong Kong listing with a preliminary filing.

India’s equity capital markets started the week on a positive note, with the first private sector insurance company beginning to take orders for its IPO.

Honma Golf has started taking orders for its HK$1.5bn ($193.3m) listing, while China Merchants Securities Co is set to kick off its IPO next week.

Australia and New Zealand Bank has lost a member of its loan syndications team in Singapore, according to sources close to the move.

Jiangsu Fang Yang Group is set to become the latest Chinese local government financing vehicle to issue a dollar-denominated bond, picking banks to arrange the offering.

Australia on Tuesday announced its intention to issue its first 30 year government bond. After a summer of downgrade threats for the triple-A rated sovereign, it hopes to tempt overseas investors back into its bonds with offers of juicy yields. But market experts are not convinced it will work, writes Silas Brown.

HSBC has named Jackson Tai, the former Asia Pacific chairman of JP Morgan and chief executive officer of DBS, as an independent non-executive director of its board.

A few months ago a banker I know from back in the day decided to brave a category 8 typhoon for a free drink in Wan Chai. The storm had nothing on this week’s super typhoon, but it was a tad rainy.

Three Hong Kong real estate investment trusts are tapping the loan market for funds, with DBS launching two new deals and Hang Seng Bank wrapping up a third transaction, bankers said.