Malaysia

Cigarette maker Philip Morris flagged off pre-deal investor education for an up to Rph26.70tr ($1.92bn) follow-on transaction in its Indonesian subsidiary HM Sampoerna on September 2, with the process set to run for two weeks.

Global equity and debt markets rallied on Tuesday, while volatility subsided, after the People’s Bank of China cut its one year lending rate. But for hard hit emerging markets, more pain could be on the way.

Szekely departs StanChart HK DCM – CBA boosts Asia loans – Capital Markets Malaysia gains new chief – China Renaissance hires new M&A co-head

Capital Markets Malaysia, an organisation backed by the country’s government and regulator, has appointed Azhar Zabidi as its chief executive officer.

The governor of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the country’s central bank, said on August 17 it was seeking an agreement with People’s Bank of China to become the fourteenth jurisdiction with a RMB qualified foreign institutional investor (RQFII) quota.

This week’s stunning slide in the Malaysian ringgit has rocked markets, as the currency slipped to a 17 year low against the dollar. That weakness is now spilling over into capital markets. The slump is shutting out activity for certain sectors and forcing domestic companies to rethink — or abandon — their fundraising plans, writes John Loh.

A spike in Asian green bond issuance this year has not yet spurred the use of the instrument by borrowers in the Asean region, where the conventional debt markets already face challenges as they develop. But credit enhancements and strong precedents from neighbouring countries could help generate more green activity in southeast Asia, writes Christina Khouri.

Al-Salām Reit has begun sounding out its MR252.36m ($64.69m) IPO in Malaysia to investors, with the company’s Shariah-compliant status expected to give it some buffer against the current macro and political uncertainties plaguing Malaysian stocks.

Malaysia’s Hong Leong Bank has announced plans for an MR3bn ($752m) rights issue in the fourth quarter of 2015 as the lender seeks to beef up its capital buffers.

Malaysia’s Johor Corp (JCorp) has fixed the pricing of its Al-Salam Reit IPO at MR1 ($0.25) per unit, with bookbuilding scheduled to begin at the start of September.

Malaysia’s Ranhill Group, which was forced to shelve an MR753m ($197m) IPO in 2013, will be making a comeback after the reverse takeover of its power and water assets received the approval of the regulators, paving the way for a MR660m deal.

In this round-up, Singapore's RMB business continues to grow, China RMB cross border trade settlement jumped 25% in June, Taiwan's RMB deposits inch up in June, the Stock Connect's northbound quota is replenished by the A-share sell-off in July, and Malaysia settled 1.9% of its trade with China in RMB in the first month of launching a clearing bank.