Hong Kong SAR

Asia’s sustainability-linked loan market has expanded further with a real estate investment trust raising funds linked to the global real estate sustainability benchmark (GRESB), a first for the region.

Barclays has named Carrie Chen as vice chairman of Greater China banking and Sung-Min Chung as head of technology in banking for Asia Pacific.

Goldman Sachs announced on Thursday that an employee in its investment banking division in Hong Kong had been identified as a "highly probable case" of the Covid-19 coronavirus.

China’s Cathay Media and Education Group has re-applied for approval to float in Hong Kong, submitting documents on Thursday with its latest financial figures.

Asia’s stock markets dived on Thursday as investors opted to hoard cash and global safe havens roiled with coronavirus-driven volatility. Amid the turmoil, however, equity capital markets bankers are trying to look ahead and are preparing for deals in the second half of the year. Jonathan Breen reports.

The stress of Covid-19 is getting to us all. Especially those of us whose main form of exercise is rigorous sitting.

David Binnion, co-head of equity capital markets for Asia ex-Japan at Goldman Sachs, is retiring after 15 years at the firm, according to a memo seen by GlobalCapital Asia.

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com has hired Bank of America and UBS to lead a secondary listing in Hong Kong, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Chinese biotechnology firm InnoCare Pharma has priced its HK$2.2bn ($288m) IPO at the top of the marketed range, following solid demand from institutional and retail investors, according to bankers close to the deal.

Hong Kong financial services firm Sun Hung Kai & Co has returned to the loan market after nearly four decades for a HK$500m ($64m) deal.

Asian equity indices were a sea of red on Monday, wiping out the gains from last Friday following the announcements of US and European stimulus packages. Primary market deal flow is almost non-existent, but bankers continue to pitch for business.

In this round-up, the reserve requirement ratio cut in China went into effect on Monday, the country’s industrial output declined sharply in the first two months of the year, and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange lifted the cap on outstanding foreign debt of Chinese issuers.