Ooredoo today announced the successful completion of its $500 million issuance of senior unsecured notes.
The notes were priced at an annual coupon rate of 4.625 percent and mature in October 2034. The transaction achieved a spread of 88 basis points over 10-year U.S. Treasuries, marking the tightest spread ever achieved in Ooredoo’s history, as well as one of the lowest for an emerging market corporate issuer and the lowest for a global telecommunications company on a 10-year bond since 2020.
Strong demand
The issuance was oversubscribed by 3.6 times, attracting a diverse group of investors from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and the MENA region. Net proceeds from the sale of the notes will be used for Ooredoo’s general corporate purposes, including refinancing of its existing indebtedness.
The notes were issued by its wholly owned subsidiary, Ooredoo International Finance Limited, under the existing $5 billion global medium-term notes programme on the Irish Stock Exchange. The notes are rated A2 by Moody’s and A by S&P.
“The strong interest in this bond issuance underscores investors’ confidence in Ooredoo’s strategy as well as its operational and financial performance. Achieving the narrowest spread over 10-year U.S. Treasuries in the company’s history also reflects the market view that Ooredoo is seen as a reliable, secure and future-proofed investment option. The issuance comes at an important time for our company, as we continue our journey to becoming the MENA region’s leading digital infrastructure provider,” Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, group CEO, Ooredoo.
Landmark financing deal
The issuance was arranged and offered through a syndicate of joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners comprised of Citigroup Global Markets Limited, J.P. Morgan Securities plc, HSBC Bank plc and joint bookrunners comprising of Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, DBS Bank Ltd. and QNB Capital LLC.
Ooredoo Group last month announced a landmark $550 million financing deal to accelerate the growth of its data centre business and unlock new opportunities in AI and cloud computing. This follows the establishment of the MENA digital hub earlier this year, Ooredoo’s new, carrier-neutral data center company, which is set to transform the region’s digital infrastructure.
For more news on banking and finance, click here.
