It is the group's largest public IABS issuance to date and its first in the Rule 144A/Reg S format with US onshore investors involved. Clifford Capital's group CEO told FA the deal "reflects the growing interest and appetite in infrastructure returns from institutional investors".
Starting on November 17 Chihiro Ashizawa has joined from Clifford Chance. Meanwhile Ashurst is looking to merge with US law firm Perkins Coie to create a top-20 global firm with a footprint in Apac and the Middle East.
In an opinion piece, Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) chairman Jesmond Gatt, shares his views on how Apac's financial community can work closer together with Malta, including across digital assets, insurance and family offices.
The move is in response to a US investigation into China's maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors. The Hang Seng Index slumped on October 13 and 14 as US and China trade tensions ramp up.
The US administration wants to take retaliatory action for China’s rare earth export controls. US stock markets and cryptocurrencies lost billions of dollars in value on October 9, while gold has reached $4,000 an ounce. China's commerce ministry said "we aren't afraid to fight".
The division of the Swiss company has a workforce of approximately 7,000 and had revenues of $2.3bn in 2024; SoftBank is looking to fuse artificial super intelligence and robotics.
The partnership, known as GLIDE, is targeting $5bn of high-quality warehouses across the Middle East; it's expected that more partners in the GCC will participate; FA understands an office is being set-up in Abu Dhabi.