Greater China

In this round-up, RMB deposits in Taiwan held up in January while South Korea's fell further, Bank of China's RMB index closed 2015 on a positive note, Stock Connect sees more southbound than northbound trading, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange added one RMB qualified foreign institutional investor (RQFII) quota this month. Plus, a recap of GlobalRMB's top stories this week.

A $400m loan for Wanda Commercial Properties Hong Kong has opened into senior syndication, with the deal coming just days after Moody’s revised the company’s outlook to negative from stable.

The opening up of China’s interbank bond market (CIBM) is one of the most significant steps towards liberalising the country’s capital markets. But with inbound investment schemes like RQFII and QFII losing their attractiveness in the process, some in the country are starting to feel sidelined.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is understood to be in talks with banks for a loan of about $4bn, according to sources.

Latham & Watkins has beefed up its business in Asia by hiring three new partners and relocating two more to its Hong Kong office.

China is hosting the G20 meeting this week in Shanghai and the question about the path ahead for the renminbi is front and centre. But, despite subdued volatility in the currency following the Chinese New Year holiday, the picture remains as muddled as ever.

Pirelli will not refinance its €6.8bn acquisition bridge loan in the bond market as planned. A torpid high yield bond market has spooked the borrower away from capital markets and back to bank loans.

This week ChemChina launched syndication for the European tranche of its Syngenta acquisition loan. The deal is much bigger than many expected, at $20bn.

Export-Import Bank of Korea demonstrated its sophistication in the bond market on Wednesday with what market participants believe is the first single tranche dollar bond to be listed in both Singapore and Taiwan. Kexim’s success is set to encourage more high quality foreign issuers to follow in its footsteps.

HSBC’s Asian business gained momentum last year, with the bank booking the lion’s share of its earnings from the region. But there are challenges ahead, with the firm under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its hiring practices.

Deutsche Bank has made a series of senior changes to its debt and loan teams in Asia, which will see Haitham Ghattas, the new head of debt origination for Asia, take charge of four origination units.

Hong Kong Broadband Network is raising a HK$700m ($90m) loan to fund its acquisition of telecoms businesses Concord Ideas and Simple Click Investments.