Another week, another financial sector IPO in Hong Kong. So far this year, three such listings have come to market in the city, for a total of more than $2.6bn equivalent. Most notably, these have included IPOs by Bank of Tianjin ($948m) and China Zheshang Bank ($1.7bn), both of which priced their offerings near the bottom end of the indicative price range last week.  read

With result season now in full swing after the Lunar New Year holidays, now is perhaps an opportune time to reflect on the fact that Hong Kong remains one of the few major markets around the world (and in Asia in particular) not to require companies listed on its Main Board to publish quarterly accounts. With talk of a third board to attract smaller companies with lower listing requirements, and recurring issues with disclosure (or lack thereof) by smaller listed businesses, a change in the rules is probably long overdue. read

On January 18, a delegation led by Arkady Dvorkovich, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, visited the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. It was not the first time a high profile dignitary from Russia had toured its facilities. read

In December, I reviewed the disappointing volumes last year for primary equity issuance in Southeast Asia, and wondered whether 2016 could be the year when ECM bankers who cover the region become busy again. With the Chinese bourses now in free fall, the authorities there repeatedly depreciating the Yuan in a bid to prop up the economy, and an extension of the ban on equity sales by large investors in Shanghai and Shenzhen, market participants could indeed well turn their attention down South again. read

Around this time last year, I reviewed the dismal performance of the Hong Kong primary markets, and ventured a guess that investors could instead turn en masse to ECM transactions in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia – and even the Philippines. How wrong I was! read

Hong Kong IPO issuance has seen healthy volumes so far this year. At US$68.3 billion, according to Dealogic, new listings on HKEx have already reached the level achieved for the entire year in 2014. The outcome of deals, however, remains heavily dependent on cornerstone investors, while oversized syndicates have sadly been back in full force since at least late spring. read

I was back in Hong Kong’s Radio 3 studio for an interview about my debut thriller, “Hard Underwriting”, with anchor Noreen Mir on the lunchtime “123 Show”. read

As Hong Kong IPOs start to make a timid comeback after a long summer lull, I unearthed an interesting working paper entitled “IPO sponsors and prospectus liability: the bridge too far?”, published in August by the Asian Institute of International Financial Law (AIIFL) of the University of Hong Kong. read