Asia Pacific

Extreme turmoil in secondary markets has put the Republic of the Philippines’ $2bn financing package on hold.

Asia’s bond markets are firmly shut, and few bankers or investors are willing to bet on when they will open again. That places a premium on the ability of bookrunners to sniff out small pockets of demand — and shows issuers where the real skill lies.

Hong Kong-listed Beijing Enterprises Water is planning to return to the offshore renminbi bond market, and could close a tap to its outstanding three and five year bonds before the end of the week.

The recent market volatility and heightened risk aversion have forced Asian borrowers to hold back their dim sum bond plans.

Hong Kong-listed Asia Cement (China) Holdings raised Rmb586m ($91.7m) in the offshore renminbi market on Friday, pushing ahead with the deal despite a rout in global markets that encouraged other companies to scrap their funding plans.

China’s approach to migrant labour is changing in a way that could transform the lives of hundreds of millions of workers. It could also help fundamentally rebalance the world’s second-largest economy

Inflation pressures have subsided and the primary focus is now on sustaining growth amid the global slowdown, leading Asian central bankers have said

China’s sovereign wealth fund won’t invest in new bonds to support the eurozone rescue, CIC president Gao Xiqing has warned

Soaring inflation and currency devaluation have led many to question whether Vietnam’s leaders have the will to make the reforms necessary for the nation to fulfil its economic potential

African nations may suffer from “asymmetrical” bargaining power with China, World Bank officials and transparency campaigners have warned

China’s currency and capital account restrictions have long hampered overseas investor attempts to buy into its spectacular growth story. So the birth of an offshore market providing corporates and institutional investors with exposure to renminbi-denominated assets has generated a great deal of excitement.