Asia Pacific

Three Chinese issuers came out on July 23 with new bonds. China Oilfield Services (COSL) and China Minmetals launched bookbuilding for dollar offerings, while Capital Juda started taking bids for a offshore renminbi (CNH) bond.

Paul Chew, head of structured finance for RHB Bank Singapore has left the firm.

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone has become the first Indian bond issuer in almost two months, successfully wrapping up its debut outing on July 22. Market observers welcomed the deal as it injected some much needed variety in the China-dominated Asian bond market, but its pricing was a point of debate.

Thailand’s Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a new approval system that aims to make selling debt easier and more efficient.

ABN Amro has announced the appointment of Oliver Kuan to CFO of the bank’s Greater China offices and wholesale banking Asia businesses.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has given Peter Guenthardt the role of sole head of Asia Pacific global capital markets, following the departure of his former co-head and BAML veteran Jason Cox, according to a memo seen by GlobalCapital Asia.

Export Import Bank of Korea (Kexim) made a quick return to the offshore renminbi market this week, copying the pioneering approach it took in February when it sold the country’s first single tranche CNH deal to be listed in both Taiwan and Singapore.

South Korean weapons maker LIG Nex1, which filed for an IPO worth W400bn-W500bn ($360m-450m) in early June, has received the regulator’s approval to go ahead with its listing.

A joint venture between New York's Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and the Euroclear group could provide a model for a future Bond Connect scheme allowing foreign investors easier access to China's onshore bond markets, Euroclear has told GlobalRMB.

China Construction Bank (CCB) Financial Leasing Corp successfully issued its debut dollar bond on July 21. The $500m deal was multiple times covered as high quality investors competed to get their hands on the strong name in a rare sector that offered attractive pricing.

Singapore is finalising plans to make it easier for retail investors to buy local currency corporate bonds.

Bank of Communications (BoCom) opened books on July 22 to what is the first additional tier one (AT1) transaction out of China this year, selling a dollar-denominated preference share offering. Similar to its predecessors Bank of China (BoC) and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), BoCom already has plenty of clarity on the book ahead of launch in spite of some aggressive price guidance.