Asia

The International Monetary Fund said on Saturday that its staff held "fruitful technical discussions" with Sri Lankan authorities on the crisis-wracked country's request for an IMF-supported loan program this week, Reuters reported. The Fund said in a statement that the discussions included the need for Sri Lanka to implement "a credible and coherent strategy" to restore macroeconomic stability, and to strengthen its social safety net and protect the poor and vulnerable during the current crisis.

In Japan, where prices have been roughly flat for decades, inflation is finally taking off. But unlike the Federal Reserve in the U.S., the Bank of Japan has resolved to keep interest rates low, helping drive a fall in the yen, the Wall Street Journal reported. On Thursday, the Japanese central bank resumed another bond-buying move aimed at keeping a lid on rates. It promised to purchase unlimited quantities of government bonds to cap the yield at 0.25%—less than one-tenth the return on the equivalent U.S. Treasury bonds.

Indonesia’s pile of pandemic-related corporate debt is offering some investors the chance to cherry-pick cheap assets before a government forbearance program runs out next year, Bloomberg News reported. The two-year-old government plan gives creditors and debtors time to resolve billions of dollars worth of loans to companies including airline PT Garuda Indonesia to prevent wholesale bankruptcies from the Covid-induced slump.

India's top retailer Reliance on Saturday called off its $3.4 billion deal with Future Group, saying it "cannot be implemented" after Future's secured creditors rejected it, Reuters reported. The deal was at the centre of legal battles since 2020 after Future's partner Amazon.com Inc legally blocked it, citing violation of certain contracts. Future denied any wrongdoing. In a stock exchange filing on Saturday, Reliance said the deal now cannot go through as "the secured creditors of FRL (Future Retail) have voted against" it.

A prolonged slowdown in China would have substantial global spillovers, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday, but added that Beijing has room to adjust policy to provide support, Reuters reported. The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cut its growth forecast for China this year to 4.4%, well below Beijing's target of around 5.5%, on the risks of widespread COVID-19 lockdowns and supply chain disruptions. In a video speech to the annual Boao Forum for Asia, Georgieva said China's actions to counter its economic slowdown are vital for the global recovery.

China's securities watchdog is holding regular talks with U.S. regulators over audit cooperation and expects a deal soon, a Chinese regulatory official said on Thursday about a dispute that could lead to delistings of U.S.-listed Chinese companies, Reuters reported. The comments by Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), represent the latest gesture from Beijing that it is willing to solve the long-standing dispute with Washington.

Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong highlighted rapidly rising private and public debt and an aging population as threats to South Korea’s economic outlook in his inauguration speech. Rhee took office Thursday after being nominated by President Moon Jae-in almost a month ago. He has so far expressed support for higher interest rates to rein in inflationary pressures while pointing to economic risks from the war in Ukraine, China’s virus lockdowns and the Federal Reserve tightening.

The International Monetary Fund said discussions with Sri Lanka on a potential IMF loan program are at an early stage and any deal would require "adequate assurances" that the island country's debts can be put on a sustainable path, Reuters reported. In a statement emailed to Reuters, IMF Sri Lanka Mission Chief Masahiro Nozaki said that IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva discussed lending options and policy plans with a Sri Lankan delegation on Tuesday.

Debt-ridden Supertech Ltd, which is facing insolvency proceedings, should come up with a settlement plan that entails "definite upfront payment" of dues, according to one of its lender Union Bank of India, the Economic Times of India reported. The bank on whose application the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) decided to initiate insolvency resolution proceedings against Supertech Ltd has made the submissions before appellate tribunal NCLAT.

Differing views between two departments of the Indian government have turned one of the biggest sales of steel mills under the reformed bankruptcy law into a litigation worth $6.3 billion and delayed the entire process. “You purchased a litigation that costs 480 billion rupees,” India’s Chief Justice N.V. Ramana told the lawyer for tycoon Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel Ltd.. The top court gave another week to government’s lawyer to sort out the differences between the country’s anti-money laundering agency Enforcement Directorate and corporate affairs ministry.