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☆ Evergrande, the massive Chinese real estate developer with $300 billion in debt, is ordered to liquidate by a Hong Kong court
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Clare Jim | Xie Yu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Hong Kong court on Monday ordered the liquidation of real-estate developer China Evergrande Group. Evergrande is the world's most indebted developer with more than $300 billion of total liabilities. AdvertisementA Hong Kong court on Monday ordered the liquidation of China Evergrande Group, a move likely to send ripples through China's crumbling financial markets as policymakers scramble to contain the deepening crisis. Evergrande had been working on a $23 billion debt revamp plan with the ad hoc bondholder group for almost two years. Before Monday, at least three Chinese developers have been ordered by a Hong Kong court to liquidate since the current debt crisis unfolded in mid-2021.

Persons: —, Evergrande, Hui Ka Yan, Linda Chan Organizations: Monday, China Evergrande, Service, Hong, China Evergrande Group, Hong Kong High, Evergrande Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China

☆ The looming office space real estate shortage. Yes, shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

You read that right: amid a commercial real estate market across U.S. downtowns being described in apocalyptic terms, CoStar sees a shortage on the horizon, with one key caveat for top companies to bear in mind. CoStar's call of an upcoming office space shortage is predicated on a look at the current data on leasing and construction activity compared to recent market history. They have attracted over 175 million square feet of net new occupancy since the beginning of 2020, an average of 12.7 million square feet per quarter. "Modern, premium office space remains in demand, just as it has historically, even during difficult economic times," said Phil Mobley, national director of office analytics at CoStar Group. Less than 30 million square feet has broken ground in 2023, making this year the lowest for construction starts since 2011.

Persons: Visoot, downtowns, Phil Mobley, Google's, Mobley, Jeff Greene Organizations: CNBC, Google, City, Gas Co, Billionaire Locations: U.S, New, Los Angeles, West Palm Beach

The IMF approved a tweaked deal, but official creditors again rejected it, Zambia said. The country's External Bondholder Steering Committee said it was deeply concerned with recent developments and that its latest offer would provide more debt relief than official creditors on a net present value basis, as well as a principal haircut when official creditors were offering none. The Common Framework has been severely criticised, as it is yet to provide any countries with debt relief. "If the OCC does not row back, sovereign debt restructuring would have taken a huge step backwards," said a second source familiar with the situation. Ghana, which is also undergoing Common Framework debt treatment, saw its international bonds slump up to 1.4 cents on the dollar .

Persons: Yuri Gripas, Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Bhargav Acharya, Marc Jones, Libby George, Alexander Winning, William Maclean, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Monetary Fund, REUTERS, International Monetary Fund, IMF, OCC, Government, Paris Club, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Zambia Zambia, Ghana, Sri Lanka, JOHANNESBURG, Zambia, China, Base, France, India, London

JOHANNESBURG/LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Zambia's official creditors including China rejected a deal the country struck with its international bondholders because they believed its "base case" scenario did not deliver debt relief comparable to what they offered in a separate deal, two sources familiar with the talks said. Official creditors said the agreement in principle, which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also rejected, did not comply with "Comparability of Treatment", said the sources, who declined to be identified as the discussions are private. Both bondholders and official creditors had proposed extending the maturity of Zambia's debt and that it be paid back quicker if the country's economy performs better than expected. The bondholder deal proposed they would be paid more than $700 million before 2026 in the base case, while official creditors had offered a longer three-year grace period. Bondholders would need to offer more debt relief in the base case scenario for the deal to be acceptable to official creditors and the IMF, one of the sources said.

Persons: Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Marc Jones, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, Paris Club, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, LONDON, China, Zambia

Zambia was the first African country to default in the COVID-19 era, in late 2020, but its restructuring process has been beset by delays. International bondholders also complained they were left out of the process, which started with drawn-out negotiations with bilateral creditors including China. Zambia's three international bonds rose sharply after the announcement, adding as much as 3.9 cents on the dollar, Tradeweb and MarketAxess data showed. The committee of bondholders owns or controls 40% of the outstanding bonds, Zambia's finance ministry added. Earlier this month, Zambia agreed a memorandum of understanding with its official creditors, including China and members of the Paris Club of creditor nations, to restructure about $6.3 billion of debt.

Persons: Situmbeko Musokotwane, Susana Vera, amortization, Rachel Savage, Karin Strohecker, Bhargav Acharya, David Holmes Organizations: Zambia's, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, IMF, Bondholder, Amia, Amundi, RBC BlueBay Asset Management, Farallon Capital Management, Greylock Capital Management, Paris Club, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, JOHANNESBURG, Zambia, China, Rosario

[1/5] A view of the residential apartments in Country Garden's Forest City development in Johor Bahru, Malaysia August 16, 2023. The group hired PJT Partners (PJT.N) as financial adviser to lead discussions with Country Garden, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Ratings agency Moody's said on Thursday it could downgrade Country Garden's (2007.HK) 'corporate family rating' if the recovery prospects for its creditors weaken further. Moody's said Country Garden's senior unsecured rating of C was already at the lowest of its rating scale. Country Garden and Frasers did not immediately respond for a request for comment on that sale.

Persons: Edgar Su, PJT, Moody's, Frasers, Houlihan Lokey, Sidley Austin, Yeung Kwok Keung, Yang Huiyan, Yeung, Yang, Cao Jianglin, Garden's, China Evergrande, Scott Murdoch, Xie Yu, Clare Jim, Anousha Sakoui, Liz Lee, Lewis Jackson, Kim Coghill, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed, Lincoln, Miral Fahmy, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, HK, PJT Partners, Garden's, Australian Financial, Reuters, China International Capital Corporation, Finance, HSBC, China National Agricultural Development, SOE, Thomson Locations: Garden's, City, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, China HONG KONG, Garden's Australian, Melbourne, China, Shunde, Guangdong province, Sydney, Hong Kong, London, Beijing, Sydndey

[1/2] A worker looks on at a construction site of residential buildings by Chinese developer Country Garden, in Beijing, China August 11, 2023. Non-payment would trigger cross defaults in other Country Garden bonds as is standard in bond contracts. Country Garden reiterated on Wednesday that it expects to be unable to meet all of its offshore debt obligations and hopes to seek a "holistic" solution to its difficulties. Shares in Country Garden have lost some 70% of their value this year but gained some ground on Wednesday, rising 2.7%. "I think Country Garden offshore US dollar bond pricing speaks for itself as to the current expectations," said Real Estate Foresight co-founder Robert Ciemniak who publishes on Smartkarma.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Cedric Rimaud, Garden's, China Evergrande, Robert Ciemniak, Clare Jim, Xie Yu, Scott Murdoch, Anne Marie Roantree, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, HK, Foresight, Data, JPMorgan, Mainland Properties, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, HONG KONG, U.S, Hang, Hong Kong

Zambia will pay about $750 million in the next decade compared to almost $6 billion that was due to official creditors before the debt restructuring. "The next step is to secure a comparable agreement with our private creditors," Zambia's finance minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane, said. Zambia is committed to remaining in arrears to its commercial external creditors, the ministry said, until it secures a debt deal with comparable terms to the official creditor agreement. It is unclear how long the signing of the agreements between Zambia and each bilateral creditor is going to take. On Thursday, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Zambia had signed the MoU with official creditors, which was later walked back by Zambia's finance minister and the IMF.

Persons: Situmbeko Musokotwane, Susana Vera, Musokotwane, Kristalina Georgieva, Rachel Savage, Jorgelina, Giles Elgood Organizations: Zambia's, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Paris Club, OCC, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, Zambia, China, France, Africa, Rosario

☆ UK financial watchdog censures insolvent London Capital & Finance
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Signage is seen for the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority), the UK's financial regulatory body, at their head offices in London, Britain March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Neo London Capital AD FollowLONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Britain's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said on Wednesday it had censured London Capital & Finance (LCF) for "unfair and misleading" promotions of minibonds, but there is no financial penalty as the firm is insolvent. LCF, which was licensed by the FCA, "may have knowingly participated in the defrauding" of bondholders, the watchdog said. "The FCA does not consider it appropriate to impose a financial penalty on the firm as it is insolvent and in administration. In 2020, the watchdog banned the mass-marketing of speculative illiquid securities, including speculative minibonds, to retail investors.

Persons: Toby Melville, Therese Chambers, Elizabeth Gloster, Huw Jones, Alison Williams, Mark Potter Organizations: FCA, Financial, Authority, REUTERS, Neo, London Capital & Finance, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Neo London, LCF

The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. Country Garden, which missed two dollar interest payments last month, has two coupons totalling $66.8 million coming due on Monday. Country Garden has $10.96 billion offshore bonds and 42.4 billion yuan ($5.81 billion) worth of loans not denominated in yuan. "Until then, the base case is that China Evergrande Group will be liquidated at the next winding up hearing on October 30, 2023." Shares in Country Garden fell more than 6% on Monday, while Evergrande Group shares tumbled 11%, compared to a 1.9% fall in the Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index (.HSMPI).

Persons: Aly, Cailianshe, Evergrande, Clare Jim, Scott Murdoch, Lincoln Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, HK, China Evergrande, . Media, Reuters, UBS, China Index Academy, Garden, Evergrande Group, Mainland Properties, Energy Vehicle Group, U.S, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, BEIJING, Beijing, Hang, Hong Kong, Sydney

The company logo is seen on the headquarters of China Evergrande Group in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China September 26, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Oct 9 (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group's (3333.HK) offshore bondholder group said on Monday it was surprised by the property developer's recent announcement that its offshore debt restructuring plan failed to meet regulatory requirements. In a statement, the ad hoc bondholder group said it had not been given any documents or filings from Evergrande despite repeated requests. Evergrande announced in late September that Chinese regulators said it would be unable to issue new debt due to an investigation into its main unit, throwing its offshore debt restructure plans into disarray. "Until then, the base case is that China Evergrande Group will be liquidated at the next winding up hearing on October 30, 2023."

Persons: Aly, Evergrande, Scott Murdoch, Clare Jim, Kim Coghill, Lincoln Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, China Evergrande, Thomson Locations: China, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, HK, Hong Kong, Sydney

LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Embattled British bank Metro (MTRO.L) announced a 325 million pound ($396.5 million) capital raise and 600 million pound debt refinancing on Sunday, after a weekend of urgent talks to bolster its balance sheet after a volatile week of trading. Metro Bank had sought to shore up its finances after a string of setbacks in recent years, including accounting errors, leadership departures and delayed regulatory approval for key capital reliefs. The equity raise was led by Metro's largest shareholder, Gilinski-owned Spaldy Investments, which contributed 102 million pounds. The Bank of England's Prudential Regulation Authority said in a statement: "The Prudential Regulation Authority welcomes the steps taken by Metro Bank to strengthen its capital position." Reuters reported on Friday that Metro Bank was set to discuss funding options with its shareholders over the weekend, after a proposal from bondholders earlier in the week was seen as handing over too much control.

Persons: Jaime Gilinski, Gilinski, Iain Withers, Anousha, Huw Jones, Pablo Mayo Cerquerio, Londo, Lavanya, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Metro, Metro Bank, Metro's, Spaldy Investments, of England's Prudential, Authority, Prudential, HSBC, Lloyds, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Colombian, London, Bengaluru

An aerial view shows the 39 buildings developed by China Evergrande Group that authorities have issued demolition order, on the man-made Ocean Flower Island in Danzhou, Hainan province, China January 6, 2022. "The (investigation into Hui) clearly shows that Chinese policymakers prioritise political considerations to economic ones in dealing with Evergrande," he said. Evergrande and China's housing authority did not immediately respond to requests for comment during the week long National Day holiday. Gavekal in its report said that at the very least, an orderly restructuring of Evergrande seemed increasingly hard to achieve. A liquidation petition filed against Evergrande is scheduled for hearing in a Hong Kong court on Oct 30.

Persons: Aly, Hui Ka Yan, Hui, Xin Sun, Evergrande, Christopher Beddor, Sandra Chow, bondholder, Antonio Fatas, Xie Yu, Clare Jim, Kane Wu, Sumeet Chatterjee, Lincoln Organizations: China Evergrande Group, REUTERS, China Evergrande, HK, lurched, East Asian, King's College London, SOE, Evergrande, Thomson Locations: Danzhou, Hainan province, China, HONG KONG, Beijing, homebuyers, Asia, Pacific, Gavekal, Hong Kong, Evergrande

☆ Counting the cost of contagion fears from Africa coups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Libgeorge Marc Jones | Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Gabon coup leader General Brice Oligui Nguema is sworn in as interim president during his swearing-in ceremony, in Libreville, Gabon, September 4, 2023. The putsch not only sent Gabon's bonds tumbling 10%, but also hit those issued by a number of other countries including neighbouring Cameroon, as jittery investors scanned for who might be next. The apparent coup trend is adding to other major concerns deterring many investors from Africa - a wave of debt crises, tense geopolitics and an extreme vulnerability to climate change. "Nearly all markets in that region are paying some price in terms of rising cost of debt," said Sergey Dergachev, portfolio manager at Union Investment. There have been scores of coups and attempted coups in recent decades including in Thailand, Ecuador, Egypt and Turkey.

Persons: General Brice Oligui Nguema, Stringer, Sergey Dergachev, Paul Biya, Macky Sall, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Eamon Aghdasi, Fitch, Moody's, Thailand's, Ravi Bhatia, Bongo, Simon Quijano, Evans, Libby George, Marc Jones, Karin Strohecker, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, UNDP, Union Investment, Investors, Reuters, General Assembly, Burkina, P Global, Reuters Graphics, Monetary Fund, Central, CFA, Peace, Thomson Locations: Gabon, Libreville, Africa Mali, Guinea, Africa, Cameroon, Mali, Thailand, Ecuador, Egypt, Turkey, crackdowns, Senegal, Congo Republic, New York, Niger, Burkina Faso, Kenya

Seven years in, Country Garden has invested 20 billion ringgit ($4.3 billion) in the project, Forest City said, a far cry from the initial $100 billion plan. "Seeing is believing," Forest City said in an email response. "The land plot itself is valuable," a Singapore-based bondholder of Country Garden said, while highlighting the complications of dealing with a local government joint-venture. Last month, Malaysia's central bank said local banks had limited exposure to Country Garden amid concern about its financial stress. Anwar, Malaysia's prime minister, has designated Forest City a "special financial zone" to attract investment, which Forest City said would help with its marketing.

Persons: Foo Gee Jen, Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar, Malaysia's, Yang Ming Han, Loh, Loh Wee Loon, I'm, Xinghui Kok, Xie Yu, Anne Marie Roantree, Lincoln Organizations: ISKANDAR PUTERI, Garden, Forest, Malaysian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: KUALA LUMPUR, ISKANDAR, Malaysia, Garden's, City, Johor, Singapore, Forest City, Malaysian, Forest, Loh Wee, China, Johor Sultan, Iskandar Puteri, Kuala Lumpur, Yantoultra, Hong Kong

☆ Country Garden secures bondholder reprieve, sources say; shares soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Country Garden did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The latest voting came after Country Garden on Sept. 1 gained approval from creditors to extend payments by three years for a 3.9 billion yuan ($533 million)onshore private bond. Country Garden, one of the few large Chinese developers that has not defaulted on debt obligations, has faced liquidity pressure with reduced available funds as sales plunged, its interim financial statements showed. It has 108.7 billion yuan ($14.9 billion) of debts due within 12 months, while its cash level are around 101.1 billion yuan as of end-June, according to the company's interim financial statement. Any default by Country Garden would exacerbate the country's spiralling real estate crisis, put more strain on its struggling banks and could delay the recovery of not only the property market, but the overall Chinese economy.

Persons: Shuyan Wang, Jing Bian, Xie Yu, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Jamie Freed Organizations: HK, Mainland Properties, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, BEIJING, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai

Coins and banknotes of China's yuan are seen in this illustration picture taken February 24, 2022. Country Garden, China's largest private developer by sales, did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Lower deposit rates will partially offset various pressures on banks' narrowing net interest margins - a key gauge of profitability, said Nicholas Zhu, a banking analyst at Moody's. "The impact of the deposit rate cut is material, given that close to three-quarters of Chinese banks' liabilities are deposits," Zhu said. China's mortgage loans totalled 38.6 trillion yuan ($5.29 trillion) at the end of June, representing 17% of banks' total loan books.

Persons: Florence Lo, Nicholas Zhu, Zhu, Ziyi Tang, Ryan Woo, Wang Jing, Davide Barbuscia, Anne Marie Roantree Organizations: REUTERS, HK, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank Corp, Agricultural Bank of China, Reuters, Industrial Bank Co Ltd, China Bohai Bank Co Ltd, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, China, Washington, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, New York, Lincoln

Country Garden is China's largest private developer. Country Garden has been in talks with onshore creditors to extend payments on the private bond and has proposed to repay in instalments over three years instead of meeting its obligations by the deadline on Saturday. "Country Garden may be able to extend its debts, but it does not mean the company and property sector are out of the woods unless home sales rebound." On Wednesday, creditors holding 10.5% of the outstanding principal, added a new proposal where they can vote to immediately call the company in default. The company's extension plan for the onshore private bond calls for payments in seven instalments ending in September 2026.

Persons: Matthew Pestronk, Goldman Sachs, Moody's, Kaven Tsang, Gary Ng, Ng, Xie Yu, Clare Jim, Li Gu, Matt Tracy, Sumeet Chatterjee, Anne Marie Roantree, Jacqueline Wong, Kim Coghill, Susan Fenton Organizations: HK, Post, People's Bank of China, Thursday, Asia Pacific, Thomson Locations: China, HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, Beijing, Hong Kong, Philadelphia, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Caa1, Asia, Shanghai

☆ Country Garden seeks to add 40-day grace period to onshore bond repayment
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The company logo of Chinese developer Country Garden is pictured at the Shanghai Country Garden Center in Shanghai, China August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Aug 29 (Reuters) - China's largest private property developer Country Garden Holdings (2007.HK) is seeking to add a 40-day grace period for the repayment of a 3.9 billion yuan ($535.3 million) private onshore bond due on Saturday, according to a document seen by Reuters. Country Garden did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the document received by private bondholders on Tuesday, Country Garden added a new voting item of adding a grace period of 40 calendar days. A small bondholder, among those who vetoed the repayment extension plan last week, told Reuters he also planned to vote against the proposed new term.

Persons: Aly, Kevin Huang, Clare Jim, Li Gu, Jacqueline Wong, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Shanghai Country Garden, REUTERS, Rights, Garden Holdings, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, HK, Beijing, Hong Kong

"That doesn't get them completely out of the woods," said one Country Garden bondholder, who declined to be identified, adding that the developer was facing a further batch of bonds payments in coming months. "If sales don't improve people will worry about the repayment ability for developers like Country Garden who have large exposure in smaller cities," Cheng said. "Country Garden is a top developer in terms of sales. It has been another week of unsettling news in the property market in China. Other efforts are needed to boost buyers’ sentiment about the long-term trajectory of the property market," they added.

Persons: Raymond Cheng, Cheng, Friday's, Wanda, China's, Wang Jianlin, DWCM, selloff, Yao Yu, Wanda Commercial's, Ankur Banerjee, Jason Xue, Clare Jim, Xie Yu, Marc Jones, Tom Hogue, Robert Birsel, Sharon Singleton, Frances Kerry Organizations: HK, CGS, CIMB Securities, Dalian Wanda Group, ANZ, Dalian Wanda Commercial Management, P, JPMorgan, Reuters Graphics, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, HONG KONG, Hong Kong, China, Beijing, Greenland, Dalian, Singapore, Shanghai, London

☆ Carvana shares jump more than 20% on deal to reduce debt by $1.2 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Michael Wayland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Carvana has reached a debt restructuring agreement that will reduce the used car retailer's total debt outstanding by more than $1.2 billion, the company said Wednesday. Shares of the company jumped more than 20% in premarket trading Wednesday after being off roughly 7% before the announcement. Carvana stock this year has soared from roughly $4 per share to start the year to roughly $40 as of Tuesday's close. Carvana said its restructuring agreement covered roughly $5.2 billion of senior, unsecured bonds and included Apollo Global Management, its largest bondholder. Carvana's debt before the deal was roughly $8.5 billion, including $5.7 billion, or 74.5%, in unsecured notes, according to FactSet.

Persons: Carvana, Mark Jenkins, Ernie Garcia Organizations: Apollo Global Management, Refinitiv, Refinitiv . Locations: maturities

Carvana, the troubled used-car retailer, on Wednesday announced that it had reached a debt restructuring agreement with most of its bondholders in an effort to lower interest payments over at least the next two years and put its business on more solid financial footing. But Carvana took on a lot of debt, made a big acquisition and was unprepared for falling used car prices and rising interest rates. Carvana said its restructuring agreement covered more than $5 billion of senior, unsecured bonds and included the participation of Apollo Global Management, its largest bondholder. The interest on that new debt will be paid in kind for the next two years, meaning the principal Carvana owes will increase but the company won’t have to make about $430 million in interest payments in cash. The new debt will also come due later than the old notes.

Persons: Carvana Organizations: Wednesday, Apollo Global Management

☆ Evergrande's liabilities, depleted coffers raise business viability concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Clare Jim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The firm announced an offshore debt restructuring plan in March, expecting it to facilitate a gradual resumption of operations and generation of cash flow. Total cash slumped to 14.3 billion yuan, versus 28.8 billion yuan in 2021 and 180.7 billion yuan in 2020. OFFSHORE DEBTCreditors and analysts are now waiting for the convening hearings for Evergrande's offshore debt restructuring schemes in the hope to get more clarity on its business outlook. A company risks being delisted in Hong Kong if its shares remain suspended for 18 months. Hong Kong Stock Exchange said it does not comment on individual companies as a policy.

Persons: Charles Macgregor, Evergrande, Clare Jim, Himani Sarkar Organizations: HK, Lucror, Evergrande, Services, New Energy Vehicle Group, Prism, Shanghai Limited, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, Asia, China's, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, Prism Hong Kong

☆ Zambia's bondholders see debt restructure deal in coming weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, June 27 (Reuters) - Zambia's international bondholders expect to strike a debt restructuring deal with the country "in the coming weeks", a leading member said on Tuesday, a move that would draw a line under the nation's near three-year stint in default. "So I think we (bondholders) can now reach a deal in the coming weeks." Daly said that was something bondholders themselves had called for when restructuring talks became stalled last year over how much debt relief would be required. "The adjustment mechanism provides for an accelerated repayment schedule and higher interest rates if Zambia's debt carrying capacity improves from the current 'weak' classification to 'medium' classification," he said. While China has rejected writing off some of the debt altogether, bondholders could still do that, Daly added.

Persons: Hakainde, Kevin Daly, Daly, Situmbeko Musokotwane, Marc Jones, Chris Mfula, Libby George, Christina Fincher, Ed Osmond, William Maclean Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Zambian Finance, IMF, World Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Zambia, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Lusaka

The group will study this expression of interest and keep the market informed," Casino said in a statement on Wednesday. And the holding company through which Naouri controls Casino is also heavily indebted. Niel, Pigasse and Zouari said they would invest 200 million to 300 million euros themselves, with the rest coming from unspecified partners, including Casino creditors. The trio's proposal comes after Kretinsky, Casino's second-largest shareholder, offered in April to take control of the group through a 1.1 billion euro capital increase. A Casino spokesperson declined to comment beyond its statement on Wednesday or on behalf of Naouri.

Persons: Jean, Charles Naouri, Xavier Niel, Daniel Kretinsky, Casino, Kretinsky, Niel, Matthieu Pigasse, Moez, Alexandre Zouari, Clement Genelot, Garnier, Pigasse, Zouari, Casino's, Mathieu Rosemain, Chiara Elisei, Laura Lenkiewicz, Sudip Kar, Silvia Aloisi, Mark Potter, Alexander Smith Organizations: Casino, Monoprix, BNP, Credit Agricole, Carrefour, Reuters, France's, Naouri, Thomson Locations: PARIS, Czech, Natixis, Casino

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