Asia Pacific

Recent volatility surrounding China’s A-share market has prompted Huishang Bank to ditch its Shanghai listing in favour of an H-share placement.

Yuexui Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) has sealed a $217m loan to back its acquisition of Hongjia Tower in Shanghai, with eight lenders coming on board.

Chinese developer Soho China has announced plans to buy back its existing bonds, a month after Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s each downgraded it by one notch.

ING Belgium and Bawag received good receptions for their covered bonds issued this week, in contrast to less spectacular outcomes for deals from Westpac New Zealand and UniCredit.

The Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) has its hands full trying to invigorate a primary equity capital market that for years has been confined by the lack of a domestic deals pipeline. But in an interview with GlobalCapital Asia, senior executive vice-president, Lih-chung Chien, is confident the exchange will remain competitive. Rev Hui reports.

Pakistan pushed on with a benchmark dollar bond on Thursday, with positive investor feedback giving leads the confidence to open books despite a tricky backdrop.

China’s ENN Energy has made a tender offer to its bondholders to repurchase for cash any and all outstanding notes, as part of the company’s debt management efforts.

Bharat PetroResources International (BPRL) and Rural Electrification Corp have sent out requests for proposals, seeking a total of $950m worth of loans between them.

Mizuho has appointed a new head of debt syndicate for Asia Pacific, poaching him from rival Nomura.

Weichai Power sold its debut offering this week in the first deal under new Chinese rules for offshore bond issuance. Despite the changes to the guidelines, market watchers reckon the impact on the DCM market will be minimal.

South Korea's LIG Nex1 had an IPO to remember, with institutional demand for the W524.4bn ($447m) deal going through the roof and books closing 121 times covered. The transaction priced at the top of the range, making it the largest Korean listing of the year.

I had the honour of gracing an awards night at one of Hong Kong’s best hotels last week, and my was it a treat.