Saudi Arabia Issues $12 Billion in Dollar Bonds in 3 Tranches

The Kingdom sold $12 billion worth of US dollar bonds on Tuesday. (SPA)
The Kingdom sold $12 billion worth of US dollar bonds on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Issues $12 Billion in Dollar Bonds in 3 Tranches

The Kingdom sold $12 billion worth of US dollar bonds on Tuesday. (SPA)
The Kingdom sold $12 billion worth of US dollar bonds on Tuesday. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s National Debt Management Center (NDMC) has completed the first offering of international bonds in 2024 at a value of SR 45 billion ($12 billion), within the international government bond program.
The Kingdom sold $12 billion worth of US dollar bonds on Tuesday, in its largest issuance since 2017. The three-part deal includes bonds maturing in 2030, 2034 and 2054.
According to a statement by NDMC, the value of the first tranche was $3.25 billion for a 6-year bond maturing in 2030. The second tranche totaled $4 billion for a 10-year bond maturing in 2034, while the third totaled $4.75 billion for a 30-year bond maturing in 2054.
The debt center added the total issuance was oversubscribed 2.5 times, reaching around $30 billion.
The statement noted that this step was part of the National Debt Management Center’s strategy to expand the investor base in order to meet the Kingdom’s financing needs from global debt markets efficiently and effectively.
It also stressed that the volume of demand by international investors for government debt instruments reflected their confidence in the strength of the Saudi economy and the future of investment opportunities in the Kingdom.
According to Bloomberg, the Kingdom follows the example of countries such as Mexico, Indonesia, and Poland, which have issued nearly $25 billion in bonds since the beginning of 2024, making it the busiest start to a year ever in terms of dollar and euro-denominated debt issuances in developing countries.
Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered are managing the deal.

 

 

 

 



World Bank Redirects Funds Towards Lebanon Emergency Aid

Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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World Bank Redirects Funds Towards Lebanon Emergency Aid

Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The World Bank announced on Thursday that it was redirecting funds originally earmarked for development programs in Lebanon towards emergency aid for people displaced by Israeli bombardment of the country.

"The World Bank is activating emergency response plans to be able to repurpose resources in the portfolio to respond to the urgent needs of people in Lebanon," said a statement from the US-based multilateral institution.

The multilateral institution currently has $1.5 billion in funding for programs in Lebanon. Part of this amount will be redirected.

Since September 23, more than 1,000 people have been killed in an Israeli air-and-ground campaign on Lebanon that has targeted armed group Hezbollah in the south and east of the country, with strikes expanding to include the capital Beirut.

Thousands have been displaced since the bombing began, and the funds would be used to provide aid to those populations, the World Bank said.

"This would include emergency support to displaced people that could be deployed through a digital platform the World Bank helped put in place during the Covid epidemic," the statement said.