Asia liability management

China and India have control

April 01, 2009


Liability management in China is being restricted by offshore rules. In India, it's the exchange rate. Both may be forced to change

Rachel Evans
Asia editor

Liability management has become a buzzword in Asia. Like "minibonds" in the wake of Lehman's collapse, it has become part of the lexicon of terms bandied about by bankers to describe the work they're doing to help companies deal with the turbulent market.

In Asia, liability management describes a range of products that companies and financial institutions are using to deal with commitments made when the market was in better shape. Debt buybacks at the end of 2008 were done to bolster balance sheets and make the most of low debt-trading prices, but deals this year have had a distressed, liability management,flavour. Bond maturities, convertible put-options and pre-IPO financings are causing particular concern.

Products to execute exchange offers for existing debt securities (in which investors take a haircut in return for longer maturity dates) or to alter conversion prices for convertibles are being pedalled as the...



Related articles

It was an aggressive view, but it's good news for defendants in future subprime litigation

A US lawyer on the importance of the Fortis class action case

Web seminars

US and EU hybrid capital
February 3 2010
The future of hybrids, in a popular discussion between IFLR, Morrison & Foerster and Calyon

Latest Issue

March 2010

Basel III: The revenge of Basel
New Basel rules are affecting everyone differently. In the UK banks are worried about grandfathering, in Germany the headache is hybrids and in the US it's risk structures. Meanwhile Japan has some tips and Hong Kong structured its first hybrid [more]