Asia Pacific

China’s move to remove the quota limits on the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) and renminbi QFII (RQFII) schemes could help in the long-term development of the country’s financial market. But this is not nearly enough. If the regulators want to see some serious change, they need to tackle two key hurdles facing foreign investors.

Strong demand for Bangkok Bank’s dollar-denominated Basel III-compliant tier two transaction allowed Thailand’s largest lender to sell a bigger deal at a tighter price than expected, writes Addison Gong.

Keppel DC Real Estate Investment Trust priced a placement of new units at the top of guidance, raising S$235.4m ($171.3m) for the purchase of two data centres in Singapore.

Singapore-based agriculture company Olam International has returned to the loan market for its annual refinancing.

Agricultural Bank of China’s Singapore branch has sold the tightest three year floating rate note (FRN) from a big four Chinese bank, adding $500m to its coffers.

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing’s (HKEX’s) proposition to acquire the London Stock Exchange Group last week was nothing short of bewildering. Instead of showcasing the HKEX’s ambition with such a bid, the move has only served as an embarrassing reminder of the bourse’s shortfalls.

Lendlease Global Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust has hit the road for its Singapore IPO as it seeks up to S$740.3m ($537.9m), according to a source close to the deal.

HSBC has named Philip Lee as vice-chairman, southeast Asia, for its global banking franchise. The position is a newly-created one as the bank seeks to beef up its presence in the region.

Adam Lavis, head of equities for Australia and New Zealand at Citi, is retiring from the bank after eight years.

Deutsche Bank’s former co-head of equity capital markets for Australia has joined Macquarie in a senior position, according to a source close to the situation.

Socam Development, part of the Shui On Group, became a victim of a weak market backdrop this week, pulling a planned dollar bond after investors balked at its pricing expectations. Addison Gong reports.

Banco Sabadell and ASB Finance launched senior bonds in the euro market on Monday, with the former hitting the ‘sweet spot’ of investor appetite and the latter struggling to achieve the same level of demand as its Kiwi peer ANZ New Zealand had last week.