Hong Kong SAR

Lai Sun Development, a Hong Kong-listed property developer and investor, has sealed a hugely popular HK$3.6bn ($460m) four year green loan to finance the Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel.

China’s Wolong Electric Group has closed its €150m debut offshore borrowing with 14 lenders.

China’s move to remove the quota limits on the Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) and renminbi QFII (RQFII) schemes could help in the long-term development of the country’s financial market. But this is not nearly enough. If the regulators want to see some serious change, they need to tackle two key hurdles facing foreign investors.

The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing’s (HKEX’s) proposition to acquire the London Stock Exchange Group last week was nothing short of bewildering. Instead of showcasing the HKEX’s ambition with such a bid, the move has only served as an embarrassing reminder of the bourse’s shortfalls.

In this round-up, China’s industrial profit growth further declined, Chinese state media has hinted at more peacemaking gestures to the US and the London Stock Exchange (LSE) rejected the Hong Kong bourse’s acquisition offer in a strongly worded letter.

The Bank of East Asia returned to the market with a Basel III-compliant additional tier one (AT1) deal, paying no premium despite reporting disappointing interim results for the first half of 2019 and amid the turmoil in Hong Kong SAR.

Warehouse construction form and lessor ESR Cayman has revived plans to list in Hong Kong, three months after pulling a possible billion dollar IPO mid-roadshow.

Moody’s has promoted Wendy Cheong as regional head for Asia Pacific, according to a press release.

Kenny Chan, head of syndicated finance and corporate advisory at Hang Seng Bank, has left the lender, according to sources.

In this round-up, both China and the US offered signs of peace around trade, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) rolled out 12 measures for further market reform and opening up, and the country’s top internet authority is tightening its control over online content.

Has any institution created more gentlemen than Captain’s Bar?

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing’s (HKEX) surprise £31.6bn takeover bid for the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) is being hailed by some ECM bankers as a complementary acquisition that will bring markets in the east and west closer together. But the political fires raging in London and Hong Kong have put the proposal’s success in serious doubt, write Jonathan Breen and Aidan Gregory.