Yield Hungry Yuan Holders Boost Bank of China’s Structured Sales
Investors seeking even more returns from Asia’s best-performing currency this quarter are boosting Bank of China Ltd.’s offshore yuan-denominated structured notes to the highest in almost two years.
BOCI Financial Products Ltd., a unit of China’s fourth-largest lender by market value, issued 111.9 million yuan ($18.2 million) of securities this month, more than its offerings in the first eight months of the year combined, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. All were linked to the U.S. dollar-yuan exchange rate, the data show.
With free access to China’s capital markets curbed, offshore yuan products provide options for investors to park their yuan assets. President Xi Jinping is also promoting the yuan’s role in global trade, seeking to internationalize the currency and grow the number of offshore yuan centers. The yuan is Asia’s best-performing since June 30, strengthening 1.1 percent against the greenback.
“The offshore yuan is becoming more liquid and now, it’s just like any other currency,” Abdelwahab Ben Tkhayet, the Hong Kong-based global head of structured products at HSBC Holdings Plc’s private banking unit said by e-mail Sept. 24. “People are increasingly looking for ways to enhance the yield on the yuan they’ve accumulated.”