Asia Pacific

South Korea’s GS Engineering & Construction Corp has launched a $150m convertible bond, it’s second equity-linked trade this year.

Pakistan’s equity capital markets are on the verge of a well needed boost, after the country’s financial regulator set out plans to develop and grow them over the next two years.

Credit Suisse has restructured its Asia Pacific investment banking team, naming Ali Naqvi as head of global markets for the region from co-head and making him responsible for both equities and fixed income.

A pair of Chinese firms are preparing potential multi-billion-dollar deals. Postal Savings Bank of China Co is seeking approval for a Hong Kong IPO that could raise up to $8bn, according to sources familiar with the matter, while China Resources Beer (Holdings) Co is aiming to net HK$9.5bn ($1.2bn) from a rights issue in the next few weeks.

China National Chemical Corp met bankers in Hong Kong this week ahead of a $12.7bn fundraising for its acquisition of Swiss biotech firm Syngenta.

China's GF Securities, which made its debut in the offshore syndicated loan market in 2014, has launched a HK$4bn ($515.4m) loan into general.

Two South Korean banks, Woori and Busan, are preparing for investor meetings next week as they both line up bond issues.

Asia’s equity capital markets had a ghastly first quarter before making a slow turnaround, but market watchers are calling for more from the second half of the year. Safe bets such as real estate investment trusts are expected to be hot, while insulated regions such as south and southeast Asia are likely to be a growing source of business. Jonathan Breen reports.

With the first institution officially through the door of the new China interbank bond market (CIBM) access scheme, market participants are now scrutinizing the CIBM rules and how they will play out. The outlook is positive but investors should beware the small print.

The list of Panda bonds set to launch in China’s exchange market has just gotten longer with a pair of Hong Kong-incorporated companies receiving approval by the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

The Asian debt market has followed up strongly on Bank of China’s successful $3bn green bond, with five deals launched on Thursday and more expected.

China’s foreign exchange and interbank money market announced on Wednesday that foreign financial instituions conducting FX forward-trading will have to start setting aside reserves later in the year.