Chinese real estate behemoth Evergrande, beset by financial difficulties, has been given one more opportunity to reach a fresh agreement about its massive debts, failing which it will go into liquidation. A winding-up hearing was postponed until December 4 from its original Monday date. It will be the final hearing before a decision is reached, according to Justice Linda Chan.
Evergrande is the most indebted property developer globally, with total liabilities exceeding $325 billion. After going into default on its loans two years ago, it has begun putting up a fresh repayment schedule.
According to Justice Chan, Evergrande is expected to wind up the company unless they present a "concrete" proposal. She said that a liquidator would still have the ability to bargain with creditors.
There were no comments on the issue available from Evergrande.
The case was originally brought by Top Shine Global, an investor in Evergrande unit Fangchebao, in June 2022. It said Evergrande had not honoured an agreement to buy back shares the investor had bought in the business.
Evergrande's intentions to renegotiate its loan agreements were severely hindered last month when it revealed that its founder, Hui Ka Yan, and one of its primary subsidiaries were being looked into for possible illegal activity.
The company added that issuing new dollar bonds, a crucial component of its plan to restructure its debts, was prohibited by Chinese regulators.
Additionally, it cancelled the creditors' scheduled vote on its restructuring plan, which was initially set for late last month. The ascent and decline of the billionaire founder of Evergrande
Why is it important that I care if Evergrande fails?
The majority of Evergrande's debt is owing to Chinese citizens, many of whom are still living in unfinished homes.
Since the real estate industry accounts for around 25% of China's GDP, the company's 2021 default on its massive loans sent shockwaves across the world's financial markets. Over the past year, a number of other significant real estate companies in the nation have gone bankrupt, and many are now having difficulty raising the funds necessary to finish their projects.
Evergrande, which has failed to provide a repayment plan approved by its creditors for the past two years, now has five weeks to do so. The main reason for the company's survival up to this point has been that the majority of its debt is with Chinese lenders, who have few legal options for collecting their money.
On the other hand, debtors residing outside of China's mainland are able to file lawsuits against the business. As a result of what Top Shine has done, a court liquidation order may be issued. Liquidation, however, would not provide a satisfactory resolution. According to analysts, it would significantly exacerbate the issue.
"Even if offshore creditors manage to get Evergrande liquidated, the prospects of a recovery are still uncertain for them," said Eveline Danubrata, Asia Managing Editor at REDD Intelligence.
"Most of Evergrande's assets are in China. So the company will have to juggle multiple local stakeholders, including homebuyers, banks and government officials," she added.
In addition to allocating priority to certain lenders during a liquidation, another issue is who would complete the homes that over a million Chinese citizens are currently awaiting delivery from Evergrande.
It is difficult to imagine a situation where Chinese homeowners receive their money before foreign creditors do, according to Danubrata. Any solution will ultimately probably necessitate close collaboration with the Chinese government.
"It will likely be challenging to pursue an onshore enforcement against Evergrande's assets without some kind of a nod from the relevant authorities," she said.
(Source:www.scmp.com)
Evergrande is the most indebted property developer globally, with total liabilities exceeding $325 billion. After going into default on its loans two years ago, it has begun putting up a fresh repayment schedule.
According to Justice Chan, Evergrande is expected to wind up the company unless they present a "concrete" proposal. She said that a liquidator would still have the ability to bargain with creditors.
There were no comments on the issue available from Evergrande.
The case was originally brought by Top Shine Global, an investor in Evergrande unit Fangchebao, in June 2022. It said Evergrande had not honoured an agreement to buy back shares the investor had bought in the business.
Evergrande's intentions to renegotiate its loan agreements were severely hindered last month when it revealed that its founder, Hui Ka Yan, and one of its primary subsidiaries were being looked into for possible illegal activity.
The company added that issuing new dollar bonds, a crucial component of its plan to restructure its debts, was prohibited by Chinese regulators.
Additionally, it cancelled the creditors' scheduled vote on its restructuring plan, which was initially set for late last month. The ascent and decline of the billionaire founder of Evergrande
Why is it important that I care if Evergrande fails?
The majority of Evergrande's debt is owing to Chinese citizens, many of whom are still living in unfinished homes.
Since the real estate industry accounts for around 25% of China's GDP, the company's 2021 default on its massive loans sent shockwaves across the world's financial markets. Over the past year, a number of other significant real estate companies in the nation have gone bankrupt, and many are now having difficulty raising the funds necessary to finish their projects.
Evergrande, which has failed to provide a repayment plan approved by its creditors for the past two years, now has five weeks to do so. The main reason for the company's survival up to this point has been that the majority of its debt is with Chinese lenders, who have few legal options for collecting their money.
On the other hand, debtors residing outside of China's mainland are able to file lawsuits against the business. As a result of what Top Shine has done, a court liquidation order may be issued. Liquidation, however, would not provide a satisfactory resolution. According to analysts, it would significantly exacerbate the issue.
"Even if offshore creditors manage to get Evergrande liquidated, the prospects of a recovery are still uncertain for them," said Eveline Danubrata, Asia Managing Editor at REDD Intelligence.
"Most of Evergrande's assets are in China. So the company will have to juggle multiple local stakeholders, including homebuyers, banks and government officials," she added.
In addition to allocating priority to certain lenders during a liquidation, another issue is who would complete the homes that over a million Chinese citizens are currently awaiting delivery from Evergrande.
It is difficult to imagine a situation where Chinese homeowners receive their money before foreign creditors do, according to Danubrata. Any solution will ultimately probably necessitate close collaboration with the Chinese government.
"It will likely be challenging to pursue an onshore enforcement against Evergrande's assets without some kind of a nod from the relevant authorities," she said.
(Source:www.scmp.com)
Homepage
Send to a friend
Printable version
Share
