Saudi Arabia Forges Partnerships to Establish Local Aerospace Industry

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
TT

Saudi Arabia Forges Partnerships to Establish Local Aerospace Industry

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Saudi regulatory authorities announced their approval of joint ventures in the aviation structure manufacturing sector, which will seek to establish the first local industry for aviation structures in the Kingdom.

The General Authority for Competition announced its approval of two joint projects for the manufacture of aviation metal structures and metal castings products in Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number of joint projects approved by the Authority to 10 since the beginning of 2021.

The authority stated that it had issued a no-objection decision to establish a joint venture between the Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company (Dussur), the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) and French FIGEAC Aero in the field of manufacturing of aircraft components, to become the first joint venture to build a facility in the Kingdom to manufacture aviation structures.

In the same context, the General Authority for Competition issued a no-objection decision to establish a joint venture between Dussur, Saudi Aramco Development Company and Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction to supply castings and forgings, where Dussur will own 70 percent, Saudi Aramco Development Company 15 percent, and Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction 15 percent of the project’s capital.



Sri Lanka's Bondholders Sign Off on $12.55 Bln Debt Overhaul

FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship sails towards Colombo Harbour as a Sri Lankan national flag is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship sails towards Colombo Harbour as a Sri Lankan national flag is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo
TT

Sri Lanka's Bondholders Sign Off on $12.55 Bln Debt Overhaul

FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship sails towards Colombo Harbour as a Sri Lankan national flag is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship sails towards Colombo Harbour as a Sri Lankan national flag is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo

Sri Lanka's bondholders signed off on the government's proposal to restructure its $12.55 billion of international bonds, a key step in finalizing the island nation's debt overhaul.

Final results showed holders representing 97.86% of the outstanding principal on the existing bonds voted in favor of the plan, which will swap Sri Lanka's defaulted bonds for a series of new fixed income instruments, the government said in a statement dated Dec. 16.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in May 2022 due to its high debt burden and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

With the finalizing of the bond exchange, Sri Lanka will become the fourth country to conclude a restructuring of its bonds this year, following in the footsteps of Ghana, Ukraine and Zambia, Reuters reported.

The South Asian island nation's new instruments include a governance-linked bond, which offers a 75-basis-point reduction in the interest rate payable if Sri Lanka meets certain governance targets, and several bonds linked to economic performance.

A breakdown of the data showed investor support across all bar one of the bonds - the 2022 maturity - passed the threshold required that would see the whole bond swapped out in its entirety for the newly created instruments.

In the 2022 bond, which does not feature so-called aggregated collective action clauses, holders representing just 73.13% voted in support of the proposal.