Asia Pacific

Bank of the Philippine Islands issued on Thursday a green bond in Swiss francs, which came at a negative yield.

CK Hutchison Holdings has launched a takeout deal into syndication to replace a €10.4bn bridge loan raised by Wind Tre, an Italian company it acquired last year.

Sta Lucia Land, a property developer in the Philippines, is looking to raise Ps7.56bn ($145m) from the sale of new shares. It has mandated China Bank Capital Corp to run the transaction.

In this round-up, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce indicated that it might hold off tariff retaliation, the country announced the establishment of six new free trade zones (FTZs) and the People’s Bank of China has asked banks to price loans based on the new loan prime rate (LPR) mechanism immediately.

In this round-up, China’s industrial profit climbed in July, the Canadian dollar overtook the renminbi as the fifth most used currency for international payments, and HSBC conducted the first transaction in the interbank market for foreign investors with a T+3 settlement cycle.

Rare international bond issuer Export-Import Bank of India turned to Japan this week for a yen-denominated deal. The ¥32bn ($301.2m) trade was its first standalone Samurai bond since 2006.

Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co priced a small $600m dual-tranche transaction, attracting twice as much interest on a floating rate note compared to a fixed rate bond.

The World Bank is planning to add fully digital cash settlement, multiple currencies and more nodes to its ‘bond–i’ platform, according to a banker involved in developing the blockchain system. Earlier this month, the supranational added tap functionality, as it raised A$50m ($33.7m) of capital.

A pair of European agencies placed taps at the long end of the Kangaroo curve this week, printing at the nine and 12 year points. Yields on these notes have fallen compared to previous taps, as the Kangaroo market feels the effects of a global bond rally.

Subway operator Tianjin Rail Transit Group has raised a €200m Schuldschein loan, becoming the first Chinese company to tap this market. Bankers believe similar deals will follow, given the market’s appeal.

Being in Asia for as long as I have, one gets used to the quirky nature of some of the region’s smallest markets. My personal favourite is Myanmar, a country long closed off to the outside world and now slowly coming into its own.

PSA International, the Temasek Holdings-owned port operator, seized $500m from its return to the dollar bond market after a three year hiatus. It priced the 10 year deal right around fair value, thanks to its opportunistic timing and strong credentials.