Asia Pacific

Vietnam’s state-owned VietinBank bagged commitments from 12 banks for its $100m loan during general syndication, with lenders from Europe, China and India jumping on-board.

China's SAIC-GMAC Automotive Finance wants to raise Rmb3bn ($473.7m) from an asset-backed securitization on Monday.

Hopes that green bonds will become an established segment of the sovereign bond market rose this week when Belgium launched its first one to an enthusiastic reception and Hong Kong’s government set out plans for a HK$100bn ($12.8bn) green bond programme.

The total issuance of investment grade corporate bonds in February was an underwhelming €14.8bn but the property sector has outshone all others in 2018 and this week was no different as investors had further diversification to consider.

BNP Paribas has reshuffled the management of its global markets business, making Martin Egan a vice-chairman of the global markets client board and promoting syndicate boss Fred Zorzi to head of primary markets. Benjamin Jacquard, who was co-head of primary and credit markets with Egan, will be leaving the firm and is thought to be heading to the buy-side.

A tricky market backdrop helped lead to an underwhelming response to a Commonwealth Bank of Australia deal on Thursday, as the lender joined a string of five other financial institutions looking at the floating rate market in euros this week.

The first of Hong Kong’s post-Lunar New Year IPOs got going this week. China Boqi Environmental Holdings hit screens with a HK$908m ($116m) transaction.

March could be the month Indian international bond issuance soars. Corporations from the country are ready to hit the offshore debt market as a weaker domestic market puts pressure on fundraising.

Journalists are overwhelmed with press releases on a daily basis. Nowadays, comms managers tend to publicise anything and everything: the personal assistant of the deputy CEO moved to Singapore, the chairman’s dog fell over, blockchain blah blah something something proof of concept.

Modern Land (China) Co sold its third green dollar bond on Tuesday, as it remains the only Chinese green issuer from the high yield property sector.

Qatar National Bank and Bank of China kept the momentum going in the offshore renminbi bond market this week, with the latter’s Rmb4bn ($632m) deal the largest in nearly three years. Their success is an encouraging sign about appetite for the currency.

Senior fixed income banker Michael Luk has joined CLSA as global head of debt capital markets, after a one year stint with the Singapore Exchange.