Singapore

Commodities trader Noble Group has decided to raise about S$719m ($522m) through a rights issue as it seeks ways to pay off outstanding debt.

Efforts to deepen RMB liquidity in offshore markets have struggled so far, despite the currency’s growing popularity for trade and investment purposes. Yet, it is clear that the success of the currency on a global scale will rely on deepening liquidity and the financial infrastructure that supports it.

Kitty Leung, who worked in the loan syndication department at Rabobank in Hong Kong, has left the Dutch lender.

Nomura is setting up an office in Singapore to provide advisory services for funding infrastructure projects in Asia, focusing initially on southeast Asian countries.

Dominique Jooris has left Goldman Sachs to become chief executive of Bank Pictet & Cie in Singapore.

Law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has hired a derivatives and structured finance to its Singapore office as partner.

The Singapore Exchange’s offer for the Baltic Exchange is the latest in a long line of moves by the Asian bourse to search for new ways to grow. But buying the Baltic Exchange won't be a solution, and the SGX is better off looking for opportunities closer to home.

Property developer Frasers Centrepoint is likely to begin bookbuilding on Friday for a potential S$900m ($651.5m) real estate investment trust IPO in Singapore, a source close to the deal told GlobalCapital Asia.

Commodities trader Gunvor Singapore has increased the size of its latest loan to $1.041bn from the launch size of $750m, signing the deal on May 25, according to sources.

European issuers are tapping into select pools of liquidity in Asia, with Taiwan and Singapore proving they can deliver both size and cost effective funding. And as deal volume in Asia declines, European bonds are also benefiting from a higher take up from Asian central banks and sovereign wealth funds. Rashmi Kumar reports.

The position of treasurer at the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA) has changed hands after eight years.

French lender BPCE became the latest bank to shore up its Basel III tier two capital in the Singapore dollar bond market this week.