Loan bankers expect a busy first half of 2014, building on the momentum seen in the fourth quarter when the volume of US dollar loans from Asia ex-Japan leapt by 75% year-on-year to $42 billion, according to Dealogic data.
Activity is picking up again after the December holidays. Among the deals banks are looking at is a loan to fund the take-private offer for New York-listed Chinese online game developer and operator Giant Interactive.
Yuzhu Shi, the company's chairman, together with an affiliate of Baring Private Equity Asia, made a $2.8 billion offer to take the company private in November, and has reached out to banks for...