Ecobank Nigeria (ENG) a wholly owned subsidiary of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’), the parent company of the Ecobank Group, announced that it has successfully priced its USD 300 million bond issuance maturing in February 2026, with settlement of the bond to take place on 16 February 2021.
Disclosing this on the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s, NSE, website in a statement, Ecobank stated that the transaction is a milestone capital raise for the banking sector in Nigeria, and thus, offers the bank with lots of benefit.
“This transaction is the first non-sovereign bond from Africa in 2021 and is a milestone capital raise for the banking sector in Nigeria, giving Ecobank access to global debt capital markets, and more favorable credit terms, commensurate with its strong financial position and robust capital structure. For international investors, it represented an attractive option to gain exposure to Nigeria.”
In addition to the advantages it provides for the bank, the bond will be listed on the London Stock Exchange, with a tenor of 5 years.
“The fixed-rate, US dollar-denominated bond, with a tenor of 5 years, carries a coupon rate of 7.125% and will be listed on the London Stock Exchange.”
This is accompanied by an Issuer Rating of B- from Fitch Rating Agency and S & P.
The transaction opened with Initial Price Thoughts (‘IPT’s’) of 7.75% and finally tightened to close at 7.125% on the back of robust demand.
Although, the coupon / yield represents the lowest ever coupon / yield achieved by a Nigerian financial institution for a benchmark bond transaction.
However, “This transaction followed a series of virtual global investor calls, with a number of blue-chip local, regional and international financial institutions, led by Citi, Mashreq, Renaissance Capital and Standard Chartered Bank as Joint Lead Managers and Book runners.” It stated.
Commenting on the issuance, Mr. Patrick Akinwuntan, Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, said: “Despite the challenging global environment owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on the back of a successful NGN 50bn Tier 2 issuance in December 2020, ENG was able to successfully issue and price Nigeria’s first 2021 senior unsecured 5 year bond transaction.
“Ecobank Nigeria, through this issuance, is being proactive in optimizing its capital structure as it continues to drive its medium term growth strategy of establishing itself as a leading facilitator of pan-Africa and international trade and payments.”
Mr. Akinwuntan continued, “I would like to extend my appreciation to our regulators, the Central Bank of Nigeria, for their timely support and continuous guidance, in granting necessary regulatory approvals.”
He further added: “We believe that our capital raising activities are key steps forward towards strengthening ENG beyond the regulatory ratios in addition to diversifying ENG’s medium-term financing sources. ENG is poised for continued growth in the Nigerian financial services industry.”
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