Northeast Asia

Last year was a watershed for Chinese investment banking, with firms from the mainland capturing a bigger share of business from across Asia as their international peers struggled to compete. In many cases, global banks were forced to rethink their business strategies in the region, including substantial jobs cuts. The shift was recognized across the industry as Chinese banks combined their balance sheets, strong onshore relationships and growing sophistication to work on the region’s juiciest deals. The standout deals reflect the internationalization of Chinese capital markets as cross-border activity picks up and assets classes such as green bonds and securitization become more widely accepted. The result is that bankers continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in Chinese capital markets. Landmarks in 2016 included the first green covered bond and Asia’s first mandatory exchangeable security, which was also the biggest equity-linked transaction globally since 2010. Meanwhile, the surge in cross-border M&A provided plenty of opportunity for lenders to fund acquisitions. Mainland banks are no longer confining themselves to their natural hunting ground of Greater China. With plans to expand operations into the rest of Asia, Europe and the United States, 2017 promises to be just as exciting. For more on these awards, visit globalcapital.com/asia

The go-ahead given to JPMorgan and Citi in the Chinese bond markets this quarter look like progress, but need closer examination

The growth of renminbi trade has stalled, but it has forced a turning point in how corporates use the Chinese currency

It is a strange world when the most outward-looking financial institution is based in Beijing. Welcome to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, led by Jin Liqun. But can the rest of the world really accept the idea that this is an apolitical organization formed only for regional infrastructure?

Huarong Rongde Hong Kong Investment Management Co is in the loan market for $100m, barely three weeks after another entity within the same group, China Huarong Asset Management, rolled out a HK$3bn ($386m) syndication.

South Korea’s Financial Supersory Service is reviewing Samsung BioLogics for potential financial fraud in the lead up to its W2.25tr ($2.0bn) IPO last year, according to a banker who worked on the listing.

Nine mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners have invited lenders to join the international loan market debut of Ant Financial subsidiary, Alipay (Hong Kong) Holding. The money will partly be used to support Ant’s bid to acquire MoneyGram.

China New Higher Education Group has launched the deal roadshow for its potential HK$921.6m listing, according to a term sheet seen by GlobalCapital Asia.

The Shanghai free-trade zone offers a side door into China’s A-share market for international companies, but the arduous process means so far it has received little attention. But with regulators planning to make the process easier, international companies should start paying attention.

Beijing Enterprises Holdings Limited is eyeing a new euro issuance, two years after its debut in the currency.

The RMB hub in Frankfurt could benefit from London’s loss of Euro-clearing privileges, but for now the focus remains on developing existing platforms including the ground-breaking Sino-German joint venture exchange, Jochen Metzger, director general for payments and settlement systems, Bundesbank, told GlobalRMB.

Peer-to-peer lender China Rapid Finance is vying for approval to float in the US, having filed preliminary documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission.