Asia Pacific

Kazkommertsbank, the largest bank in Kazakhstan, intends to buy back up to $300m of its outstanding euro and dollar bonds via auction.

The Singapore dollar bond market has been dominated by financial and corporate subordinated debt in recent weeks with transactions worth S$2.64bn ($1.9bn) sold since the start of May. While the swap driven nature of the demand means issuance will be patchy, bankers believe this trend could run for some time, writes Rev Hui.

CIMB Group has reinstated Nazir Razak as chairman following a month-long review triggered by several money transfers involving his personal bank account.

For some, the fun in travelling is who you are with. For others, it’s a whole different story.

Indonesian state-owned oil company Pertamina has requested proposals from banks for a $1bn five year loan that includes a greenshoe option, according to bankers.

SCPG Holdings is planning to issue up to Rmb2bn ($306m) in the onshore renminbi debt market as early as this month while Hong Kong-based Chong Hing Bank is set to price its debut Panda bond of up to Rmb1.5bn on May 20.

Indian pharmaceutical firm Laurus Labs is planning a Rp10bn ($148.7m) IPO this year and has lined up three banks to lead it, according to a source close to the deal.

A pair of private equity firms have raised a combined Rph3.02tr ($223m) from a share sale in Indonesia’s Matahari Department Store, after a burst of demand allowed the vendors to enlarge the size of the offering.

Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) set a new benchmark this week with what bankers say is the first triple tranche deal out of South Korea. The policy bank managed to bring high quality US investors into its three year notes, while also sealing tight pricing on the longer-dated portion.

Hotel Lotte Co is aiming to raise as much as W5.7tr ($4.8bn) from its South Korean IPO and is due to start pre-marketing on Friday.

British motor oil and lubricant producer Castrol has raised Rp20.8bn ($309m) after selling a block of shares in its subsidiary Castrol India.

Bankers and investors are paying close attention to BOC Aviation as it navigates the market with its HK$8.7bn ($1.1bn) IPO, set to be one of the largest listings of the year in Hong Kong. But what sets this deal apart is that despite its link to Chinese state-owned Bank of China, it is not being propped up by friends and family investors. Jonathan Breen reports.