What it takes to be an Asian ECM powerhouse

Last week, news that Deutsche Bank would fold its global equities business and terminate almost 20,000 of its employees came as a shock for market observers. read

The Hong Kong paradox

What once looked like a healthy and steady pipeline of IPOs across Europe and the US has evaporated in a flash. read

The end of the affair

Last week, Hong Kong’s plans to play host to IPOs of international behemoths such as Saudi Aramco took a serious hit, amid news that both Glencore and Tapestry, the owner of luxury fashion brand Coach, would delist from the local exchange. read

The elephants’ graveyard

Thirty-first of December was not only the last day of a decidedly subdued year, but also the deadline by which Credit Suisse bankers in London were allegedly asked to return the mobile phones issued to them by their employer. This is only the latest nail in the coffin of a profession once seen more as a lifestyle, but which has now become (almost) like any other. read

From the Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom

As the US$100bn-plus IPO of Saudi Aramco nears its launch, the UK’s Telegraph has most recently hinted at a three-way foreign listing, conducted across London, New York and Hong Kong. I look at the practicalities and advantages (as well as disadvantages) for the oil behemoth of listing in Asia. read

Take that to the bank

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

Hong Kong doesn’t need weighted voting rights

At long last, the operator of Hong Kong’s stock exchange has published conclusions to its concept paper on weighted voting rights (WVRs). Almost as soon as it did, Hong Kong’s other regulator expressed its opposition to the idea. But WVRs were always a worrying development. More urgent reforms are needed for the exchange to compare favourably with New York or London. read

Chinese investment banks on the rise

I gave a video interview to Asia banking reporter Enda Curran from the Wall Street Journal. read

Letter to South China Morning Post

“More relevant template from Malaysia”

I am the author of IPO: A Global Guide and refer to Enoch Yiu’s White Collar column (“Fresh reminder of need to end muddle over HKEx roles”, October 1). She said “London and Singapore have long ago brought in independent regulators to be involved in the listing approval process for companies undergoing IPOs”. read

Report on cross-border IPOs

I participated, alongside 14 other professionals, in a study for an in-depth report from PwC and Baker & McKenzie (coordinated by consultancy Meridian West) on cross-border IPO trends. read