Agricultural Bank of China

Bonds backed by standby letters of credit have fallen from grace, as tightening spreads in the dollar bond market and growing risk appetite among investors ensure that issuers can do without credit enhancement. Have SBLCs had their day in Asia? Addison Gong finds out.

China Resources Land is coming back to the Panda market with a Rmb6bn ($941.6m) three year deal.

Onshore investors forced red chip issuer Country Garden Holdings to pull a Rmb1.8bn ($281.2m) three year bond on Tuesday. It would have been the real estate company’s first deal in the Panda market since September 2016.

Peking University Founder Group Company and Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co used keepwell deeds for their dollar bond sales on Thursday, paying a bit of premium for the structure.

Ford Automotive Finance (China) started the year in China’s asset-backed securities market by selling a Rmb4bn (Rmb618.3m) deal on Thursday. The deal was open to foreign investors, but onshore demand formed the core support for Ford’s sale, sources on the deal told GlobalRMB.

Chinese corn oil manufacturer Shandong Sanxing Group Company and real estate developer Cifi Holdings (Group) Co raised a combined $500m on Tuesday, adding to the growing momentum in the Asia bond market.

Property developer Country Garden Holdings is planning a return to the Panda bond market on Friday, after approaching onshore investors with a Rmb1.8bn ($279.8m) three year bond. It will be the first time the company has sold a Panda in the interbank bond market.

Three Chinese issuers are seeking fresh funding from the dollar bond market on Tuesday, with one wooing accounts for a comeback deal and the other two making their debuts.

Chinese issuers Peking University Founder Group, Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co, Geely Automobile Holdings and Jinjiang International Holding are meeting investors this week ahead of planned dollar and euro bond sales.

Ford Automotive Finance (China) is preparing for a Rmb4bn ($614m) deal in the onshore asset-backed securities market – the first by a foreign originator in 2018. But the carmaker is not in the mood for change in the New Year, sticking with the same format it printed in last August.

Chinese regional lender Bank of Gansu Co has covered the books for its Hong Kong IPO, which could raise HK$6.1bn ($783.9m) at the top of guidance, according to a banker on the deal.

Hong Kong-listed China Mengniu Dairy has won regulatory approval to tap the Panda bond market for the first time, and is seeking as much as Rmb15bn ($226.7m) from short and medium term notes.