Greater China

In this round-up, US and China agreed to hold trade talks in Beijing early next week, the central bank loosened the definition of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors (Nafmii) appointed a new party chief.

China Kepei Education will launch investor education for its Hong Kong IPO next week, according to a source close to the transaction.

China Everbright Greentech, an environmental protection service provider under China Everbright International, is testing lenders’ appetite for a HK$800m ($102m) syndicated loan.

Companies usually park their reserves of cash in staid, low-yielding liquid assets. But asset managers are trying to persuade them to invest some of that money differently, in a way that could help them live up to their environmental commitments.

Several Chinese borrowers ventured into the bond market at the end of December, locking up last-minute deals that were mainly supported by anchor orders.

Hong Kong may have reclaimed its spot in 2018 as the world’s biggest stock exchange in terms of funds raised, but if early indications for the 2019 first quarter are anything to go by, the bourse is in for a tough time.

JP Morgan brings back healthcare banker — Malaysia slaps first 1MDB charges on Goldman

One of my favourite parts of meeting up with old friends after Christmas is hearing about the gifts they received. This makes for far more entertaining conversations than bonus season talk.

Asian bond issuers are set to face a test of endurance in 2019, given their huge refinancing requirements. While the market will still be open, risks of defaults loom large over DCM bankers and investors, writes Addison Gong.

The Hang Seng Index’s appalling start to the new year has made ECM bankers and investors ultra-cautious about the market, and most participants are taking a wait-and-see approach. Christie Ou reports.

Is pricing in the Asian loan syndications market finally bottoming out? All the signs for an uptick in margins this year are there, writes Pan Yue.

Two senior Morgan Stanley bankers are set to retire from the US investment bank this year.