North Asia

Chinese firms face more geopolitical risks as ODI rises

Lillian Li, Moody’s Ratings VP and senior credit officer, explained to FA that companies in manufacturing, high tech, infrastructure and logistics are facing higher geopolitical risks than other sectors; China's outbound direct investment is on the rise.

June 23, 2026

London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange to launch Shanghai-linked steel futures contract

The HKEX-owned exchange will list a cash-settled HRC contract referencing SHFE prices, offering overseas participants exposure to China’s flat steel market; trading is expected to begin in October.

June 18, 2026

Goldman-backed GO makes Tokyo’s largest 2026 IPO debut

Japan’s largest taxi-hailing app operator opened 21.25% above its offer price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, with Nomura, Goldman Sachs and BofA Securities acting as joint global coordinators.

June 16, 2026

Societe Generale names Marc Saffon as Japan country head

The long-serving Societe Generale executive has most recently led the French bank’s global markets business in Japan, and will succeed Bruno Gaussorgues, who is taking on a group head role at the bank.

June 16, 2026

Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation prices record HK$12bn digital bond

HKMC’s inaugural public digital bond is the largest digital bond issuance globally to date and the first from a public-sector entity in Hong Kong.

June 14, 2026

Taiwan’s BizLink to acquire Blackstone's Interplex Datacom for up to $900m

The Taiwan-listed fibre optic and data cable manufacturer will buy the Singapore-headquartered ICT business using cash and Citi financing to strengthen its data centre infrastructure capabilities amid surging AI demand.

June 11, 2026

HKMA sets up group to develop tokenised bond frameworks

The 21-member group will advise on expanding bond tokenisation beyond a series of government pilots, as Hong Kong accelerates its digital financial development.

June 10, 2026

SoftBank’s PayPay to buy T&D Holdings' life insurer for $840m

The Japanese digital payments platform is acquiring a 70.2% stake in T&D Holdings’ life insurance unit, marking its push into life insurance as it expands beyond payments, cards, banking and securities. One Investment Management is also part of the deal.

June 09, 2026

AI supply chain to boost Asia amid global growth slowdown

China had robust import and export growth in May despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Fitch has upgraded China's GDP forecast to 4.6% this year after "surprisingly good" Q1 data. In a volatile market, SpaceX is set to go public on June 12.

June 09, 2026

K&L Gates hires Yang Wang as Hong Kong corporate M&A partner

The former Dechert managing partner joins as the US firm continues to strengthen its Greater China transactional capabilities.

June 09, 2026