Asia Pacific

BSE, formerly the Bombay Stock Exchange, will use the Intercontinental Exchange’s ICE Brent Index as the final settlement price for its Brent futures contract.

Indorama Ventures, a petrochemicals company headquartered in Bangkok, has mandated banks to raise Schuldscheine via a European subsidiary, according to several people familiar with the situation. The deal is a further sign of the instrument’s growing popularity in East Asia.

Citic Capital Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company (Spac), has filed for a $200m IPO. It is targeting companies in the energy efficiency, clean technology and sustainability sectors.

Peijia Medical and Shenzhen Hepalink Pharmaceutical Group Co have set the ball rolling for Hong Kong IPOs, having filed draft prospectuses with the city’s stock exchange.

China Aoyuan Group has closed a $230m-equivalent club loan with eight banks.

Thailand’s ministry of finance has approved two foreign companies to issue baht-denominated bonds, including the first Vietnamese borrower to tap the market.

In this round-up, Chinese vice premier Han Zheng said China will further remove barriers of entry for foreign investment and lower its tariffs and Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is still waiting for a ruling on her extradition to the United States.

In this round-up, the International Monetary Fund revised its forecast on Chinese economic growth upwards to 6% in 2020, Chinese banking institutions recorded more assets but also more liabilities last year and the Securities Association of China updated its guidelines on due diligence for corporate bond underwriters.

The Green Bond Principles organisation has gone public with its plans to set up a working group on sustainability-linked bonds. It will be charged with working out whether the GBP should issue guidance on the new structure — a move that would ensure the GBP remains relevant as the sustainable finance market changes.

Two supranationals hopped into the Kangaroo market with environmental, social governance (ESG) bond taps this week, in a move that is becoming increasingly popular. With a local holiday this weekend marking the end of antipodean summer, bankers expect Australian dollar issuance to restart in the next few weeks.

HSBC is looking for a new head of corporate finance coverage to replace Matthew Wallace, who is quitting the firm. Meanwhile, Simon Derrick and Michael Ellam have been handed new jobs as the bank reorganises the way it covers investors and public sector institutions. In Asia Pacific, Rami Hayek is leaving his post.

There was a burst of activity from Chinese pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the equity capital markets this week, as the sector took centre stage following the spread of a flu-like virus that has already claimed lives on the mainland. Jonathan Breen reports.