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Dubai World's announcement this week that it is closing in on another restructuring of its $14.6bn debt promise a big and timely kick of the can down the road for the emirate. But the overall picture for Dubai is deteriorating, structural problems remain and investors should strap themselves in for the bumpiest ride since the financial crisis.

The failure of the Chung family to divest some of its holdings in Hyundai Glovis this week has brought the restructurings of many South Korean family-owned conglomerates into the spotlight. The pressure on these businesses to simplify their cross-shareholdings has raised expectations of more ECM activity this year. But the negative precedent set by Hyundai has also ignited fears that investors will now view these transactions with more caution, write Rashmi Kumar and John Loh.

The renminbi has grown as an international trade, investment and reserve currency at breakneck speed over the past few years. But in many eyes, the very programmes set up to loosen capital account restrictions are now working against very purpose of creating offshore RMB liquidity – key to the currency’s internationalisation. A couple of developments this year may help.

How time flies. I was sipping a scotch the other night on the terrace at Sevva and looking around to see who I could spot. There is usually some cohort of bankers yammering about their lack of sleep, their rivals and each other, but there was barely a soul to be seen.

Just when it looked like state-backed 1MDB was finally ready to put its energy assets on the market for Malaysia’s biggest IPO in years, the listing has come up against another delay. That hardly inspires confidence in the sovereign wealth fund. But with a new president in place, there is now a chance to set things straight — not only for the country’s capital markets but also for the sovereign itself.

Australia and New Zealand Bank is making a concerted push into acquisition finance in the region as it looks to capitalise on the trend of Asian companies acquiring Australian targets. Underlining the importance of this business, the firm has promoted Damien Ng to head of loan syndications — specialised and acquisition finance.

Larger deals and bigger new issue premiums will be the new normal for Asia ex-Japan as issuers adjust their debt funding strategies in the face of volatile markets. A pair of high profile bonds in the past week clearly illustrated this size-over-price approach, although bankers said that while it will become increasingly common, not everyone will adopt it, writes Rev Hui.

Banks are keeping a close watch on the fall in commodity prices, which, if it carries on, could cause problems for borrowers in the upstream oil and natural resource sectors in producer economies like Indonesia. However, this decline could also bring higher fees for banks in the second half of the year, as lending to commodity companies gets riskier, writes Shruti Chaturvedi.

Belarus's request for proposals this week for a $1bn bond issue has once again highlighted the ethical dilemmas investment banks face when working in and for countries with tarnished human rights records.

Why is a piece of regulation which nobody wants, which the massed sovereign debt offices of Europe oppose, and which the regulator itself admits will barely work pushing remorselessly ahead?

SSA bankers lauded Portugal on the timing and execution of a dual tranche benchmark deal on Tuesday, as investors ploughed into the offering. Elsewhere, Spain revealed its syndication plans for 2015 and Italy broke records at the long end of the curve.

Dubai World's announcement this week that it is closing in on another restructuring of its $14.6bn debt promise a big and timely kick of the can down the road for the emirate. But the overall picture for Dubai is deteriorating, structural problems remain and investors should strap themselves in for the bumpiest ride since the financial crisis.