UBS

KfW opened the door for dollar issuers after a quiet few weeks in the currency, although the issuer — and SFIL, which followed it — had to navigate some price discovery after last week’s Italy-led volatility.

SFIL followed KfW into a reopened dollar market this week with only its second ever dollar benchmark, while engaging in a bit of price discovery that leads said was “spot on”.

Hong Kong was a hotbed of accelerated bookbuild activity this week as two biotechnology firms and a property developer raised a combined HK$6.7bn ($854m) in primary and secondary equity.

UBS appoints Asia DCM syndicate heads – BNP’s SEA loan syndicate head to relocate – Morgan Stanley’s ECM co-head dies at 41 – Goldman DCM banker moves to Macquarie – CMS’s Chien moves to buy-side – Citi builds Oz team – Wong leaves HSBC

UBS has appointed Kevin Cui and Terry Schmassmann as co-heads of Asia DCM syndicate, effective immediately, according to an internal memo seen by GlobalCapital Asia.

KfW reopened the public sector dollar market on Wednesday by picking up a hefty $4bn from a well oversubscribed book. Société de Financement Local will be next up, after mandating banks for a trade.

Swiss Re, the reinsurance group, returned to the equity-linked debt market on Wednesday with a deal that reinforced this issuer’s reputation for financial innovation: a $500m equity-neutral convertible bond that also acts as a contingent convertible security — except with more flexibility for the issuer.

If the financial arm of A2/A rated insurance firm AMP had debuted in Swiss francs six months ago, the moment would have passed without much remark. But as the chief executive, chairman and half its board were turfed out of the business under a cloud of disgrace, the timing caused quite a stir in the traditionally measured bond market.

Ronshine China Holdings was back in the equity market on Tuesday for a top-up placement, pocketing HK$1.1bn ($140.1m) overnight.

New Frontier Corp, a Hong Kong-based special purpose acquisition company (Spac), is planning an IPO in the US worth as much as $200m.

EPP, a Polish real estate investor specialising in shopping malls, has mandated banks for a euro bond, joining Atrium European Real Estate in the rush to issue the first non-financial corporate bond from CEE since early May.

Del Monte Philippines has kicked off bookbuilding for an up to Ps17.6bn ($334.5m) IPO after winning approval from the country's stock exchange on Wednesday.