China Vanke has a few more weeks to find a way to pay bondholders
A holiday gift of grace leads today’s look at real estate headlines from around the region as China Vanke wins another extension from bond creditors. Also making our list today is a report that Japanese financial regulators are taking a closer look at real estate lending and Chinese regulators vow to stabilise the real estate market soon.
China Vanke Creditors Approve Extension for Second Set of Bonds
China Vanke’s bondholders approved a proposal by the state-backed developer to extend the grace period for a RMB 3.7 billion ($528 million) bond repayment, but rejected delaying the repayment by a year, a filing showed on Friday.
The decision, disclosed in a filing to the National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors by the bond’s underwriter, followed a similar move recently by holders of another Vanke note. The RMB 3.7 billion bond will mature on December 28 and its grace period will now be 30 trading days instead of five. Read More>>
Japan Regulator Said Boosting Scrutiny of Property Loans by Regional Banks
Japan’s Financial Services Agency is stepping up monitoring of regional banks that lend heavily to the booming real estate sector to make sure risks are under control, according to people familiar with the matter.
The watchdog is conducting interviews with some high-risk regional banks and will consider conducting on-site inspections if necessary, said three people, who wouldn’t be identified as the information isn’t public. They said one of the concerns is a noticeable increase in lending by regional banks on real estate outside of their local areas. Read More>>
China Pledges to Step Up Urban Renewal, Stabilise Housing Market in 2026
China will step up urban renewal and efforts to stabilise its property market in 2026 at the start of its latest Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), according to a readout of a housing policy conference released on Tuesday.
The conference, held in Beijing on 22 and 23 December, mapped out key housing development tasks for the Five-Year Plan period, and called next year a critical starting point for policy implementation, according to the readout published by the housing ministry’s official outlet. Read More>>
Bank of Korea Points to Rising Risks in Seoul Housing Market
The risk index for Seoul’s housing market has climbed to a record high, partly driven by a steady rise in the price of apartment units in the capital while prices in rural and lesser populated areas continue to decline, a central bank report showed Tuesday.
The combined value of apartments in Seoul accounted for 43.3 percent of that of all apartment units in the country as of end-November, surpassing the previous record high of 43.2 percent set in August 2020, according to the Bank of Korea. Read More>>
Hainan Reports Shopping Surge as Chinese Resort Island Goes Duty Free
Hainan’s Free Trade Port has witnessed a sharp rise in offshore duty-free shopping one week after launching island-wide customs operations, according to official figures released on Thursday by Haikou Customs.
From Dec 18 to Dec 24, duty-free sales reached RMB 1.1 billion ($157 million), with 775,000 items purchased by 165,000 shoppers. That represents a 54.9 percent increase in sales value compared with the same period last year, alongside strong growth in the number of items sold and shoppers alike. Read More>>
Wharf Holdings Tests Hong Kong Luxury Market with Launch of Peak Project
Hong Kong property developers are bringing new trophy homes to market, as Wharf Holdings kicked off a tender on Friday for three mansions at its ultra-luxury Plantation Road project on The Peak.
The tender marked one of the most closely watched super-luxury home offerings in 2025, following a recent string of high-value transactions that pointed to renewed confidence in the market among affluent buyers. Read More>>
Singapore’s Keppel REIT Secures $695M in Bridge Loans
The manager of Keppel Real Estate Investment Trust said on Wednesday that it has obtained three bridge loan facilities totalling about S$892 million ($695 million) through a wholly owned subsidiary.
The facilities, all of which are dated Wednesday and guaranteed by HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Singapore), contain conditions relating to changes to the REIT’s manager. Read More>>
WeWork India Moves Beyond Co-Working to Focus on Managing Corporate Services
Karan Virwani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of WeWork India, said the company is moving beyond its original role as a co-working space provider and positioning itself as a broader managed services partner for businesses.
Virwani said closer engagement with enterprise clients has given WeWork visibility into how companies are adopting hybrid work models and rethinking operations, which has opened opportunities in areas including employee transport, food management, and workplace experience. Read More>>
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