Hong Kong SAR

Ant Group started speaking to investors this week for mammoth IPOs on the Hong Kong and Star markets, which at an estimated size of $30bn would become the world’s largest ever share offering. The deal is a big win for both exchanges — and bankers in Hong Kong are also expecting a record fee from the deal. Jonathan Breen and Rebecca Feng report.

Credit Suisse has named Carsten Stoehr as the head of its newly-created Asia Pacific strategic products (ASP) team, adding another job to a veteran banker who already runs Greater China.

Hong Kong property company Hysan Development Co made a quick return to the bond market on Wednesday. It added $200m to a perpetual non-call three year deal priced just last week, thanks to strong follow-up demand.

The Covid-19 coronavirus has thrown up many challenges for bankers forced to work from home. But perhaps none is tougher than trying their very best to pretend they’re getting anything done.

Thomas Hugger has more than two decades of investment experience in frontier markets. Volatility is part of the job description. But he has never faced challenges like those unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Road King Infrastructure found strong support for its high yield dollar deal on Tuesday, gathering $2bn of orders for a $300m transaction.

Nongfu Sping, a Chinese bottled water and beverage company, is closing the international book for its Hong Kong IPO a day earlier than planned on the back of strong demand, according to sources close to the deal.

Genting Hong Kong, a cruise ship operator under financial pressure due to the pandemic, held a meeting on Monday with its bank creditors to discuss a debt restructuring plan.

Ant Group has taken a step closer to pulling off what is expected to be the world’s largest ever share offering, submitting IPO applications in Hong Kong and Shanghai on Tuesday.

Yidu Tech, a Chinese technology-based healthcare provider, is seeking approval for a Hong Kong IPO.

Ant Group, Alibaba’s fintech arm, has wrapped up a 10-day ‘pre-listing tutoring’ process for its A-share debut on the Shanghai Star board, paving the way for its hotly anticipated Hong Kong and China dual listing.

Chinese bottled water and beverage company Nongfu Spring has opened books for its HK$8.35bn ($1.08bn) IPO of H-shares on the back of support from state funds in the Mainland and Singapore.