Asia Pacific syndicated lending down 15% to US$214.1 billion

Syndicated loan volume in the Asia Pacific excluding Japan totalled US$214.1 billion in the first half, a drop of 15% from US$252.4 billion in the same period last year.

The lack of lending activity is more apparent on a deal count basis with only 608 transactions closed in the first six months of the year, compared
to 870 deals completed a year earlier, a Thomson Reuters loan report cites.

Despite a slowdown in economy, China continued to be the largest contributor to Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) loan market volume in the first half, accounting for US$68 billion in deal flow, or almost 32% of the market.

China recorded a double digit increase in volume at over 11%, although major markets saw first half loan volumes contract. Infrastructure, project and real estate loans were main drivers of the country’s lending activity, representing 72% of China loan volume. Apart from China, Taiwan also
recorded double digit growth of 31%.

After a robust year in 2014, the M&A loan market has had a slow start with  only nine deals completed in the first quarter of 2015. However, the market did begin to pick up in the second quarter to log US$21.5 billion with 26 deals by end of the first half.  The volume accounted for 10% of the
region’s loan volume.

Chinese banks continued to snap the top three spots in the 1H 2015 Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) mandated arranger league tables with Industrial and
Commercial Bank of China in No.1 spot, followed by Bank of China and China Construction Bank.

HSBC led the international currency mandated arranger league table for Asia (excluding Australasia and Japan).

The Asset