Asia Pacific

China’s distressed developers are increasingly asking local courts to drive their restructuring efforts, as weak home sales continue to weaken their ability to make headway or deliver on private debt workout plans, Bloomberg News reported. Chongqing Casin Property Development Group late last month became the newest among its peers to apply for the court to overhaul its debt. The move followed a Bloomberg News’ report that defaulter China Fortune Land Development is considering scrapping a creditor-approved debt plan for a court-led solution.

Japan's core consumer inflation hit 3.2% in January for its fastest pace in 19 months, data showed on Friday, reinforcing expectations that the central bank will keep raising interest rates from levels still seen as low, Reuters reported. Bond yields rose on the data, as markets factor in the chance that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) could hike interest rates more aggressively than initially thought as inflationary pressure mounts.

Chinese companies, mainly those in the tech sector, are accelerating plans to raise funds offshore, tapping into a rebound in investor sentiment fueled by hopes of Beijing's support for private firms and the popularity of DeepSeek, bankers said, Reuters reported. In a sign of the pickup in offshore equity sale momentum, two tech companies raised $500 million in total this week alone, and bankers and lawyers said a growing list of firms is preparing to launch offshore equity sales in the coming months.

Singapore announced on Friday a set of measures to rejuvenate its equities market, including a 20% tax rebate for primary listings and a S$5 billion ($3.74 billion) program that focuses on investing in domestic stocks, Reuters reported. The statement offers more details on measures Singapore's equities market review group announced on February 13 to revive its stock market that has come under pressure from a dearth of mega listings and softer trading liquidity.

Legal warnings posted on the door of a private, for-profit hospital in eastern China tracked its descent into financial failure, the New York Times reported. Huiren Hospital in the city of Suqian was warned for failing to pay employees. Four months later, a judicial summons said it still had not paid back wages. Finally, in September a paper taped across its entrance declared the building closed. The hospital, once known for treating men with infertility or sexually transmitted diseases, had been hollowed out. The furniture and equipment were gone. There was no staff.

Financial creditors of Reliance Big Private Limited, formerly promoted by Anil Ambani, are set to face a 99% haircut as part of the approved resolution plan in its insolvency case. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Mumbai Bench, has given its nod to the resolution plan submitted by Manoj Kumar Upadhyay through his affiliate firm, ACME Cleantech Solutions Private Limited, for the revival of Reliance Big Private Limited, the New Indian Express reported. As per the resolution plan, secured financial creditors will receive Rs.

The Delhi insolvency court on Thursday admitted Aviom India Housing Finance Pvt. Ltd into bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings following a plea by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), LiveMont.com reported. RBI had moved the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) under the Financial Service Providers (FSP) Insolvency Rules, 2019, leading to an interim moratorium that restricts legal proceedings, asset transfers, and recovery actions against the company. However, the supply of essential goods and services will not be disrupted during this period.

A steelworks project owned by tycoon Sanjeev Gupta has been ordered into administration by the South Australian government after his GFG Alliance failed to pay royalties, Bloomberg News reported. The South Australian government “has been in receipt of advice from our steel taskforce that the owner of the steelworks’ financial position wasn’t just deteriorating, it was likely to continue deteriorating,” the state’s premier, Peter Malinauskas, told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.

The Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates for the first time since 2020 on Tuesday, joining its international counterparts in the global easing cycle and opening the door for the immediate calling of a federal election, which must be held by mid-May. The central bank announced a 25-basis-point reduction in the official cash rate to 4.10%, growing in confidence that inflation has been tamed after a three-year battle to bring it down from a four-decade high. Still, the decision to ease was a cautious one, and RBA Gov.