From Forbes.com
PARIS (AFX) - BNP Paribas is in negotiations to acquire up to 20 pct of an unidentified bank in China to enter that country’s banking market, and expects an agreement by year end, Les Echos reported.
Chief operating officer Jean Clamon said BNP Paribas wants to obtain as close as possible to a 20 pct stake, the authorized limit, the paper said.
He said the company is seeking ‘a regional bank in which we will have a degree of influence.’
From SMH.com
Toll road investor Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG) has raised about $675 million to fund an investment in a US-based toll road.
MIG entered into an agreement to invest in the Dulles Greenway, a 22 kilometre operating toll road.
The road runs west of Washington DC from Dulles International Airport to Leesburg, Northern Virginia.
The placement, as well as a Security Purchase Plan (SPP), will fund the investment and the financial close is anticipated to occur by mid-September.
MIG chief executive Stephen Allen said the placement was well supported by a broad range of global investors.
An issue price of $3.87 per stapled security was achieved under the book build, representing a 0.5 per cent discount to MIG’s closing price on August 29.
A total of 174.4 million new stapled securities will be issued which are expected to settle on September 6 and commence trading on September 7.
MIG is also offering eligible stapled security holders the opportunity to subscribe for up to $5,000 worth of MIG stapled securities at the price of $3.87 under a SPP.
From Forbes.com
Indonesia and China have signed trade and investment agreements worth some 20 bln usd covering infrastructure, agriculture and health projects during Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s two-day visit to China, The Jakarta Post reported.
‘There is now a good opportunity for Chinese businessmen to invest in Indonesia due to our favorable and competitive exchange rate,’ The Post quoted as saying Kalla in Beijing.
He was referring to the weaker rupiah, which has lost about 10 pct of its value this year.
The signing yesterday covered six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and four agreements between Indonesian and Chinese state and private companies, the Post said.
The estimated 20 bln usd trade and investment deals will be carried out over a span of 15-20 years, said an Indonesian official at the office of the state minister for state enterprises.
State gas distributor PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) and CNOOC SES Ltd signed an MoU for the development of a gas transmission project linking East Kalimantan with Central Java.
PT Krakatau Steel, PT Sumbergas Sakti Prima, Chengda Chuan Wei Group Co Ltd and Sinchuan Chuan Wei Group Co Ltd signed an MoU for the development of an iron mine in Kalimantan.
State nickel miner PT Antam and Aluminum Corp of China Ltd signed an MoU for a smelter grade alumina project.
State pension fund PT Jamsostek, PT Transpacific Securindo and Hualing Group Co Ltd signed two MoUs on investment cooperation for housing development and the medical sector in Indonesia.
PT Inti, PT Alcatel Indonesia and Alcatel Shanghai Bell signed a technical and business agreement on telecommunication products and for the development of Eastern Indonesian telecommunication infrastructure.
PT Dizamatra Powerindo and China National Electric Cable & Wire signed a contract for the Sibayak Geothermal Power plant in North Sumatra.
PT Sumber Alam Sultra and Si Chuan Guo Hao Zhong Ye Co Ltd signed a cooperation agreement on the development of hybrid rice seeds.
Artha Graha Networks Associates and Guangcai Energy Company Ltd signed a cooperation agreement on the development of the Indonesian Riau Islands province.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian and Chinese governments signed an MoU for a feasibility study into the development of the Indonesian sugar industry, aimed at achieving sugar self sufficiency by 2009.
Kalla’s visit to China follows that of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in July, during which he witnessed the signing of deals in the energy and infrastructure sectors worth 7.5 bln usd.
