Asia Pacific

Woolworths reopened the Australian dollar corporate market with a A$1bn ($645m) dual tranche trade on Wednesday, the first from a corporate since the end of February.

The Republic of Finland had to share its return to dollar market on Wednesday with a trio of three year SSA deals. Demand for dollar SSA bonds has been strong this week, and with mandates out for five and seven year deals,issuers are still looking to take advantage

The European Investment Bank inaugurated its sustainability awareness bond (SAB) framework in Australian dollars on Tuesday, while on Wednesday NRW.Bank printed the largest SSA Kangaroo so far this year.

REC became the first Indian issuer in two months to hit the international bond market, raising $500m on Tuesday. While the deal was a success, it also shed some light on the restrictions and challenges being faced by the country’s issuers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Zhongsheng Group Holdings has pulled off a HK$4.56bn ($588.3m) convertible bond and repurchase of an outstanding CB, increasing the deal size on the back of demand from existing bondholders.

GAC-Sofinco Auto Finance priced a Rmb4bn ($564m) four-tranche auto loan ABS offering on Tuesday. The senior class A1 and A2 tranches were both sealed at coupons below 2%, setting a new record for Chinese auto ABS issuers.

Hong Kong property company New World Development Co, which has taken hits to its business due to both the social unrest in the special administrative region and the Covid-19 outbreak, has raised $600m from the bond market with a 20bp new issue premium.

Dada Nexus, an operator of Chinese on-demand retail and delivery platforms, has set the ball rolling for a Nasdaq IPO.

JP Morgan has hired Jonas Troeber as its new head of equity syndicate for Australia and New Zealand, according to an internal memo seen by GlobalCapital Asia.

Japanese issuers are among the best-regarded in the world, offering global investors a safe haven at times of heightened volatility. That is now more important than ever. Their last financial year started amid widespread trade disputes between China and the US. It ended with the global spread of Covid-19, a pandemic that threatens to fundamentally alter the capital markets. GlobalCapital talked to a group of Japan’s top issuers to find out how they have navigated the volatility — and what they’re planning next.

The market for bonds that target environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns previously put the focus on the environmental aspect, leading to a rush of green bond issuance but little attention on social problems. Not anymore. Social bonds have become a much more prominent tool for highly-rated issuers, helping fund solutions to problems ranging from educational shortfalls in developing countries to the spread of Covid-19 around the world. Japanese issuers have been at the forefront, developing a busy domestic market. GlobalCapital talks to a group of prominent issuers about the potential of social bonds.

Japan’s socially responsible investment (SRI) market has blossomed, helping the country to become a leading destination for the sector. Morgan Davis reports.