Greater China

Chinese online e-commerce company JD.com is set to embark on a roadshow ahead of its very first offshore outing this month.

Chinese technology firm Tencent Holdings is holding conversations with banks for a loan of about $1.5bn, just four months after wrapping up a chunky fundraising.

The Shanghai Clearing House (SHCH) is planning to establish a Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) bond market. The bonds will be denominated in offshore renminbi and sold to offshore investors, several sources close to the initiative have told GlobalCapital Asia's sister publication GlobalRMB.

Yunnan Provincial Energy Investment Group is on track for its first dollar bond while the Export-Import Bank of China (Chexim) has opted for a dual-currency, triple-tranche offering for its return.

The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) is moving forward with plans to broaden its China offering with equity futures for mainland companies. Meanwhile, Bank of China Hong Kong (BoCHK) has received approval to open a branch in Brunei, the first for a Chinese bank.

Law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has added Paul Wee Ei Don as a banking and finance partner in Beijing.

Hong Kong-listed Samsonite International has wrapped up syndication of a $2.425bn loan for its acquisition of premium luggage maker Tumi.

Yanlord Land Group, a Singapore incorporated real estate developer, kicked off a series of investor meetings on April 18 for a Panda bond offering. The trade will be the first Panda from a Singaporean issuer in the onshore exchange market.

Lou Jiwei, the Chinese minister of finance, lambasted the credit rating agencies, following last month’s decisions by Moody’s and S&P to downgrade the country’s sovereign debt outlook.

China launched a trial for the country’s first pair of domestic green bond indices last week as the budding asset class continues to gain traction.

Fortune Oil PRC Holdings, which is in the market for a $240m three year loan, has received one commitment so far with a score of lenders expressing interest in the credit.

DBS Group Holdings has completed its inaugural foray into Hong Kong’s bank capital market, selling a Basel III tier two trade last week. The move is part of the Singaporean lender's strategy to diversify its bank capital funding sources.