China

ICBC International (ICBCI) has approached banks for a $500m syndicated loan facility with Agricultural Bank of China at the helm.

The long-awaited expansion of the Hong Kong RMB qualified foreign institutional investor (RQFII) quota, coming at a time of increased appeal of China assets, has triggered a rush by global money managers to get a piece of the action.

Zai Lab is set to kick off roadshows on Tuesday for its $150m IPO on the Nasdaq, according to a banker leading the transaction.

The Communist Party congress is set to kick off on October 18, the emirate of Sharjah plans the Middle East’s first Panda bond issuance, and Swift data says the renminbi was the fifth most used currency for payments globally in July.

GlobalCapital is happy to announce the nominations for its Sustainable and Responsible Capital Markets Awards 2017.

The idea of a Primary Equity Connect (PEC) linking China and Hong Kong has reared its head again after the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) published a report trumping its benefits. Needless to say, the market is divided. While many see benefits, others see dangers in bringing the two markets closer together. Jonathan Breen reports.

Best, a logistics firm backed by Alibaba, started pre-marketing its $1bn IPO on the New York Stock Exchange this week, as a clutch of Chinese issuers also filed listing applications in the US.

When China's free trade zone (FTZ) bond market was launched last December, regulators envisaged it as foreign investors’ fast lane into Chinese fixed income. But one year on, there are doubts over whether the market has a future — only one FTZ bond has been sold, and meanwhile the onshore bond market is enjoying a rapid rise.

The bookrunners on logistics company Best’s potential $1bn US IPO have kicked off pre-marketing, according to a banker working on the deal.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has proposed the creation of national green financing vehicles to give a boost to environmentally friendly and financially sustainable infrastructure investments.

Shanghai-listed Guirenniao Co is looking to pursue a $300m bond, while the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has also approved a handful of other potential offshore issuances.

Volkswagen Finance (China) is preparing to hit the securitization market for the second time this year, only three months after its last transaction. But while the new deal retains some of the key features from VW’s last one, it will be notably smaller, raising only Rmb3.66bn ($554m).