China's ABS framework on trial

With the recent release of trial rules for loan securitisation by China's top regulators, hopes for the country's ABS market are higher than ever. However, the rules don't present the comprehensive framework many bankers had hoped for. Alice Hales reports

Three months after China's first official guidelines on asset-backed securities (ABSs) were released, dealers are still waiting for the first domestic deal to be issued. While bankers are accustomed to Chinese regulators taking a cautious approach to opening new markets, many had hoped that at least one ABS deal would emerge in the first half of this year. The delay has raised questions over how effective the new rules actually are.

Certainly, much of the preparatory work had been done even