Asia Pacific

The Sri Lankan sovereign has finally hit the loan market for a $300m borrowing — a good three months after news emerged of a potential mandate and about a year after it issued a request for proposals. But the country is on much stronger footing now despite a ratings downgrade earlier this year, writes Shruti Chaturvedi.

It was high yield that sprung back to life in Asia this week, while investment grade counterparts remained on the sidelines amid a cautious environment. Market participants remain hopeful that the region’s high yield market will benefit from a possible Brexit-driven pivot from European investors, write Narae Kim and Max Bower.

The impact of the UK’s decision to abandon its European Union membership hit Asian equity capital markets with varying degrees of intensity this week, with some IPOs wobbling and others braving market jitters to launch deals. But orders have become smaller and there is a clear flight to safety among investors. Jonathan Breen and John Loh report.

China’s DFZQ, also known as Orient Securities Co, and China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co have raised a combined HK$14bn ($1.8bn) after pricing their IPOs towards the low end of guidance, according to sources close to the deals.

Cemex Holdings Philippines has raised Ps21.9bn ($465m), pricing its IPO near the bottom of guidance after it was put under pressure by last week’s Brexit decision.

China is pushing on with the development of its non-performing loans securitization market, which only restarted last month, with China Merchants Bank (CMB) sealing the asset class’s third transaction.

Two Hyundai-related units cleared out of their holdings in Hyundai Motor Co for W226.14bn ($192.9m) on Wednesday, in an accelerated bookbuild that priced close to the bottom of guidance.

Fullerton Healthcare has made its debut in the Singapore dollar bond market, raising S$100m ($74m) from a deal backed by the Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility (CGIF). Bankers on the trade reckon the issuer’s sector, as well as the bond’s structure and currency, were the winning ingredients to navigate volatility.

The loans team at Standard Chartered in Hong Kong has undergone a number of changes, with new bankers coming into the fold to replace those who have left recently.

Indonesian television broadcaster MNC Sky Vision has launched the second stage of syndication for its latest loan, having added two lenders in senior. The company has also trimmed the size of its fundraising to $225m from $275m after accessing an alternate source of funds.

L&T Infotech, a unit of Indian conglomerate Larsen & Toubro, is set to raise Rp12.4bn ($183.4m) from its domestic IPO, having announced the price range and bookbuilding dates.

The outcome of the Brexit referendum has cast a shadow over London’s ability to maintain its status as Europe’s foremost RMB business hub. In this lowdown, GlobalRMB pits three other European capitals – Frankfurt, Luxembourg, and Paris – against the City as the most likely contenders for Europe’s RMB crown.