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THAI Farmers bank is poised to launch an offering of $1bn in new shares which bankers hope will mark the start of a renaissance in the country's battered banking sector. Goldman Sachs has been appointed as sole bookrunner for the ambitious 386m share deal which, if successful, will make Thai Farmers the fourth largest company in Thailand in terms of market capitalisation.

THE KINGDOM of Thailand may launch a $500m Eurobond in the next two months, signalling the start of its planned $3bn to $5bn borrowing programme for the year. The country is bringing forward its return to the international markets, according to a finance ministry official, because it believes spreads have returned to a low enough level for the kingdom to raise funds to re-capitalise its banking system and revitalise the export sector.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is in the final stages of launching only the second major straight bond issue this year in Taiwan's domestic market. Led by Citicorp, with Capital Securities as joint lead, the NT$6bn transaction looks set to be the first offering by an international borrower to incorporate a floating rate tranche. Bankers said that the five year deal, for which syndicate invitations were tendered yesterday (Thursday), is to have one NT$4.5bn fixed rate tranche and one NT$1.5bn FRN tranche.

PHILIPPINE fast food retailer Jollibee Foods Corporation priced its novel warrants issue this week, which used for the first time a structure that allows foreign investors to participate in the Philippine retail sector -- and gives international funds access to a highly successful company which is expanding in Asia. The offering raised around $106m, which surpassed the estimated $80m-$100m, from the sale of 220m warrants which will trade as shares on the Manila stock exchange.

* Merrill Lynch & Co Inc Rating: Aa3/AA-

THE FIRST international debt market offerings of 1998 from Hong Kong and China are likely to be launched in the higher yielding sector of the market, with preparations under way for an asset backed bond by Cathay International and a Yankee issue by Star Digital. Although both Hong Kong and China remain among a dwindling club of investment grade borrowers in the region, each deal is said to have been firmly targeted at US buyers looking for a pick-up in yield. JP Morgan, in association with up to five co-managers, has begun to market an infrastructure bond for Cathay International. ING Barings, meanwhile, has been on the road with Star Digital for the past three weeks.

VIETNAM cleared the final hurdle in its attempts to return to the international debt markets yesterday (Thursday) when it issued three tranches of Brady bonds totalling $553m, two months later than planned. The response from the market was muted, however, because of the country's deteriorating credit standing. Moody's placed its Ba3 rating for the sovereign on review for a possible downgrade last month and bankers believe a cut is almost inevitable given Vietnam's lacklustre approach to economic reform over the past year. That was evidenced last October, when the IMF held back the final $176m tranche of its three year $530m package.

THE revival of the Hong Kong equity market will face its first big test today (Friday). Joint lead managers ABN Amro and Bear Stearns will price the $250m-$300m 'H' share IPO for Yanzhou Coal Mining (YCC) which they abruptly pulled last October when the Hong Kong market plunged.

GLOBAL co-ordinators Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse First Boston have launched the sale of stock in Telecom New Zealand in a global offering which could raise as much as NZ$3.5bn ($2bn). The leads filed a registration statement with the SEC yesterday (Thursday) as the stock has been traded in New York since the company's IPO in 1990. The deal will comprise the sale of 382.67m ordinary shares with a greenshoe option of just over 64m shares which will all be sold by Ameritech in the divestment of its 22% holding in the telecom operator.

THERE WAS strong international demand this week as Nomura opened the book for the equity offering for Aiful Corporation. Between 3m and 4m shares in the consumer finance company will be sold to foreign investors, and priced between March 23 and March 25 at a discount to the secondary market.

* PT Polysindo Eka Perkasa has emerged as one of the highest profile defaulters from Indonesia following the announcement this week that the company missed a $17m payment in commercial paper on February 27. Its failure to meet interest payments resulted in twin downgrades by Moody's and Standard & Poor's, with the former lowering the company from Caa1 to Caa3 and the latter from CCC to CCC-.

FURTHER details regarding the flotation of soon-to-be demutualised Australian life company and fund manager AMP are emerging ahead of its scheduled listing in late June. Sydney-based bankers said that the creation of an issue structure which encourages the maximum number of policyholders to sell their shares at a price acceptable to institutional investors has created difficulties.