Taiwan

Zhen Ding Technology Holdings is taking on a syndicated loan to replace a facility raised by its subsidiary Iris World Enterprises earlier this year.

With the RMB hitting new lows against the dollar following the US elections, the move away from offshore RMB (CNH) deposits is likely to continue, if not accelerate. GlobalRMB is introducing a new historical chart tracking the level of CNH deposits across Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, South Korea and the UK.

Nifty 50 futures trading on the Taiwan Futures Exchange will be able to be sold in the US, following a ruling by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Donald Trump’s shock victory in the US presidential elections was no obstacle to Santander’s Chilean arm this week as the bank became the first issuer from the South American country to raise financing in Taiwan’s Formosa market, as well as pocketing Sfr125m ($125m) from a clutch of Swiss investors.

One month from the US regulator fining the New York unit of Mega International Commercial Bank, Taiwanese lenders are feeling the pressure and facing an unprecedented level of scrutiny on their existing loan books. But the extra paperwork should be viewed as a minor inconvenience with long-term benefits.

Taiwanese solar cell manufacturer Neo Solar Power has raised $120m from a zero coupon convertible bond backed by a standby letter of credit (SBLC). The deal was driven by a hefty fall in NSP’s stock price, pushing the issuer to redeem its outstanding notes early.

A recent fine by US regulators on the New York branch of Mega International Commercial Bank has led to demands for overseas branches of Taiwanese lenders to collect more comprehensive information about their clients. This is causing fears that the credit approval process for syndicated loans will lengthen, while banks will also find it tricky to lend to smaller borrowers. Shruti Chaturvedi reports.

Major corporates have been quick to spot the potential of the Formosa market, with names including Apple, Électricité de France and Anheuser-Busch InBev selling multi-billion dollar transactions. Ample liquidity and a savvy investor base means corporate issuance of Formosa bonds is only set to grow. Elliot Wilson reports.

Foreign banks would be remiss to ignore Taiwan’s Formosa market when it comes to bank capital fundraising after the country introduced regulations that allow lenders to sell dollar-denominated tier twos domestically. Yet even though a number of banks have been quick to take advantage, Taiwan will need to consider further relaxations if it wants to attract more names. Tanya Angerer reports.

Taiwan life insurers are addicted to long dated callable private placements. But what was once a beneficial habit, is no longer offering juicy returns. As yields continue to slide, the Taiwanese MTN market is having to adapt to the changing environment, writes Jonathan Breen.

Renminbi bonds in Taiwan had a spectacular run for most of last year. But a new age of renminbi volatility combined with weaker regulatory momentum has put the market on hold in 2016. Nevertheless market participants agree that the renminbi promise remains an enticing one. Paolo Danese reports.

In this round-up, Chinese regulators have further delayed any expansion of the qualified domestic institutional investor, Vanguard has completed its transition to a FTSE index that includes A-shares, and Malaysia’s new payment system adds support for RMB debt securities. Plus, a recap of GlobalRMB’s coverage this week.