Hong Kong SAR

Chinese regional commercial lenders Bank of Tianjin and China Zheshang Bank are looking to raise a combined HK$23.1bn ($3.0bn) through listings in Hong Kong, with both issuers leaning heavily on cornerstone investors.

Pascal Guttieres, a managing director and head of block trading, global capital markets, for Asia ex-Japan at UBS, has left the bank.

AMTD Group has successfully wrapped up its debut outing to the international debt market, selling a $110m three year trade on Wednesday.

Market participants have been sceptical about the Hong Kong Exchange's (HKEX) plans for a Bond Connect with China ever since the idea was first floated in late 2014. Eighteen months later, the opening up of China’s interbank bond market (CIBM) has thrown up more questions about the scheme’s viability.

Morrison & Foerster has appointed Vivian Yiu as a new corporate partner in Hong Kong, the law firm announced in a press release on Tuesday.

AMTD Group is out with its first international bond, taking bids on Wednesday for a three year dollar transaction that was covered at launch.

The Mutual Recognition of Funds (MRF) scheme has been slow in gaining traction among offshore investors since its launch in December. But the recent suspensions of outbound investment schemes has seen a pick-up in interest by Chinese investors.

Carnival Group International Holdings executed its first dollar bond on Tuesday, raising $180m with a three year transaction that was supported by anchor orders.

Chinese regional lender Bank of Tianjin has kicked off bookbuilding for its Hong Kong IPO after covering over half of the up to HK$9.5bn ($1.2bn) with cornerstone investors.

Malaysian telecommunications giant Axiata Group and Bank of Communications Financial Leasing are looking to tie up their respective dollar offerings on Tuesday with the former executing a sukuk and the latter a conventional bond.

China Zheshang Bank has launched a Hong Kong IPO of up to HK$13.6bn ($1.75bn), which has the potential to be the largest listing in the city so far in 2016.

Hong Kong-based Chong Hing Bank (CHB) is marketing its debut Panda bond of up to Rmb1.5bn ($231m) and is aiming to price the deal this month, several sources close to the deal have told GlobalRMB.