Southeast Asia

Malaysia’s Eco World International will finally open books on its MR2.5bn ($561m) IPO next month after getting two domestic funds on board as cornerstone investors.

ANZ has appointed Jennifer Kusuma as senior Asia rates strategist in Singapore, hiring her from BNP Paribas.

United Overseas Bank is marketing the year’s first Singapore dollar-denominated bond from a financial institution, while Germany's Commerzbank has also set its sights on the same liquidity pool.

PBoC opened the week with a near-300bp weakening of the dollar fix, while Rusal received the green light for its upcoming Panda bond deal, and the Shanghai-London Stock Connect is now one step closer to becoming reality.

A subsidiary of Indonesian conglomerate Lippo Karawaci is bookbuilding for a potential Rph2.45tr ($183.8m) IPO of Dire Bowsprit Commercial & Infrastructure.

The Singapore Exchange is consulting the public on whether to introduce a dual-class share (DCS) structure and if so what safety measures it should employ, it said on Thursday evening.

DBS Group Holdings has reported its lowest quarterly profit in two years, hit by a jump in provisions for bad loans, according to an announcement on Thursday.

Stock exchanges in southeast Asia are set for a busy year, as they eye a rebound in ECM activity and make plans to woo foreign issuers.

Thailand Future Fund is expected to launch the first tranche of its Bt100bn ($2.9bn) IPO in the third quarter of this year, said bankers.

Lembaga Pembiayaan Ekspor Indonesia, otherwise known as Indonesia Eximbank, has announced plans to sell $500m-equivalent bonds in the offshore market this year.

In this round-up, the offshore RMB (CNH) nearly eliminates its spread with the onshore RMB, a Standard Chartered index on RMB internationalisation ends 2016 poorly, and the Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX) sees new records set in RMB futures contracts in January. Plus, a recap of our stories.

Star Energy is borrowing $1.9bn via two facilities for its acquisition of Chevron’s assets in Indonesia, as strong early interest from banks revealed plenty of available liquidity for M&A into the country. Loans bankers expect more action from the export-oriented nation, following the recovery in commodity prices. Shruti Chaturvedi reports.