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A jump in green bond issuance and investment over the last few years has led to a group of high profile investors to call for the industry to develop global uniform standards. But with the buyside divided over how to classify green bonds and the need for more rules, progress is expected to be slow, writes Christina Khouri.

India’s new budget brought mixed news for ECM bankers hoping for changes to tax rules for real estate investment trusts (Reits) and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs). The government delivered much-needed clarity on some aspects of the tax regime, but big gaps still remain, with the stage not yet set to welcome the country’s first Reits, writes Rashmi Kumar.

Thailand is inching towards releasing new rules allowing foreign companies to list on its stock exchange for the first time. Interest is already building among non-Thai issuers looking to tap the kingdom’s superior domestic liquidity and retail investor base, but market participants warn that a lot of work remains before the country becomes a hub for cross-border capital, writes John Loh.

The ijara structure Hong Kong adopted last year is the most commonly used by international issuers. Some $100.8bn of international sukuk with a maturity of at least one year and $500m in size have been issued since 2002, out of which $50.9bn were ijara sukuk.

The government of Hong Kong is following up last September’s success with plans to issue a second sukuk this year, a $500m-$1bn three or five year deal. With the borrower opting for an asset-light wakala structure this time around, market participants say this could be the key for Hong Kong to fulfill its ambitions of becoming an Islamic finance hub, writes Rev Hui.

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Secrecy is a natural facet of a private market like loans – but no good will come if denial continues even after deals have been signed.

The SSA issuers which came ahead of the ECB meeting on Thursday were wise to fund early. The Eurosystem will be a big buyer, but will dislocate the market.

Private equity, once the acquisition champion, is being trounced by boring old corporate buyers and IPOs. But 2015 will still be a year to savour for levfin.

Banks looking to recruit to their emerging markets business should not fall into the trap of pigeonholing bankers that have careers in specialist markets.

Times Property Holdings printed a $280m five year non call three bond this week in what was only the fourth Chinese high yield property firm to tap the international market in 2015. Even though the amount raised was small, its significance is anything but. A recovery for the much maligned sector could finally be on the cards.

Pakistan’s latest draft law on real estate investment trusts (Reits) is worrying industry participants, many of whom are calling the requirement for a perpetual lock-up of a Reit manager's stake inflexible and illogical. But the regulator is right to impose tough rules. Issuers and investors will gain from a market that has its eye on the long term.