A bank advising Evergrande's lenders says the embattled property developer is expected to default, report says
- A bank advising Evergrande's lenders has said it expects a default soon, Reuters reported.
- Evergrande is a huge Chinese property developer that owes more than $300 billion.
An investment bank advising some of Evergrande's lenders has said the embattled Chinese property developer is expected to default after missing recent payments, Reuters reported on Friday.
Evergrande missed payments on two dollar-denominated bonds worth $131 million. Both have 30-day grace periods before nonpayment officially constitutes a default, ending in mid-October.
A group of bondholders have hired US investment bank Moelis & Co as advisers, along with law firm Kirkland & Ellis, Reuters reported.
Bert Grisel, a managing director at Moelis, said there had been little communication from Evergrande and that the bondholders and their advisors think a default is coming soon, according to Reuters.
"We all feel that an imminent default on the offshore bonds is, or will occur, in a short period of time," the news outlet reported Grisel as saying.
He said there had not been any "meaningful dialogue with the company, or provision of information."
Moelis & Co declined to comment when approached by Insider. Evergrande did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Evergrande is China's second-biggest property developer and is teetering on the brink of collapse, owing more than $300 billion.
The looming crisis shook international stock markets in September as investors fretted about the knock-on effects of such a big default on the global economy.
Evergrande has said little about its situation, as its financial woes have intensified. The uncertainty has unnerved investors in China's property market, in which high levels of debt are common. Property bonds and shares sold off sharply again on Friday.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that holders of $260 million worth of bonds issued by Jumbo Fortune Enterprises and guaranteed by Evergrande are yet to be paid, despite the bond coming due on Monday.
Shares in Evergrande have been suspended from trading in Hong Kong since Monday pending an announcement about a "major transaction."
Chinese financial news services Cailan reported rival Hopson Development plans to buy 51% of Evergrande's property management unit, Evergrande Property Services Group. State media outlet Global Times also reported on the deal.