Credit Suisse

General Atlantic Singapore raised HK$982.2m ($125.6m) on Thursday after upsizing a sale of Xiabuxiabu Catering Management China Holdings stock in Hong Kong’s first block trade of the year, according to a source close to the deal.

When the shadowy figure known as Satoshi Nakamoto launched bitcoin in 2009, few predicted that the technology underpinning it would, in a few short years, be hailed as an invention as important as the internet. Capital markets are on the front line for disruption, writes Lewis McLellan.

2017 saw some serious capital raising by European banks. Four European globally systemic banks, in four monster rights issues, raised more than €30bn — partly to deal with non-performing loans and partly to reclaim their places in global investment banking and capital markets. Even banks that did not turn to the equity markets sought to conserve capital — but is 2018 the year when belts will start to be loosened again? Owen Sanderson reports.

Refresco’s $1.25bn acquisition of Cott’s drinks bottling business raises monopoly concerns, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said this week. But market sources see a quick fix ahead.

Holders of the rights auctioned in the rump sale after Banca Carige's rights issue have subscribed for only €22.8m of the €167m of shares available to them. The largest shareholder has 12 hours to exercise an option to buy €69.5m of the remainder.

The rump auction following the rights issue of Banca Carige, the Genoese bank, was closed early after two days on Monday, but participants in the deal have to wait till Thursday to find out how many of the buyers will subscribe for the up to €167m of shares.

European banks were outgunned again in corporate finance in 2017 but there is cause for optimism for next year, writes David Rothnie.

Leveraged loan investors are still at the table in a week many expected to be quiet. Double-B rated borrowers like Nomad Foods, the UK frozen food producer, found strong demand after slashing margins and selling add-ons.

Sistema, the Russian conglomerate controlled by Vladimir Yevtushenkov, has been forced to cancel the $70m sale of Detsky Mir shares it conducted on Monday night, after some of its assets, including its stake in the toy store, were frozen by an arbitration court in the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Indian ECM bankers are lining up for a bumper end to the year, with a string of state-owned financial institutions preparing qualified institutional placements (QIPs). Jonathan Breen reports.

Shares in Detsky Mir, the Russian toy retailer, fell 8.2% on Tuesday after Sistema, the Russian conglomerate controlled by Vladimir Yevtushenkov, and the Russia-China Investment Fund sold some of their shares in the company through an accelerated bookbuild on Monday night.

This week, bankers and investors in the European high yield market sounded a message of confidence to potential issuers of bonds with triple-C ratings, even after BMC cancelled one such deal.