BPI raises $300M from green bonds
Credit to Author: MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO, TMT| Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2019 16:17:40 +0000
LISTED Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has raised $300 million (P15.6 billion) in fresh funds from its issuance of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) green bonds.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Ayala-led lender said the amount was more than four times oversubscribed, with the order book allocated predominantly to Asia and the rest to Europe.
“By investor type, more than half of the offering was allocated to asset managers and fund managers; around one-third to banks, financial institutions and private banks; and the remainder to insurance companies, pension funds and other investors,” it said.
The five-year bonds are priced at 99.641 percent with a reoffer yield of 2.577 percent. The transaction is expected to settle on Sept. 10, 2019.
The bonds will carry a coupon of 2.500 percent per annum, payable semiannually, and will have a final maturity date of Sept. 10, 2024.
The bonds were issued through a drawdown under the BPI’s $2-billion medium-term note program.
“The net proceeds from the bonds will be used for the financing and/or refinancing, in whole or in part, of ‘green’ eligible projects, as further described in [the] BPI’s Green Finance Framework,” the bank said.
BPI also said it established a Green Finance Framework to highlight its long-standing commitment to fund projects with clear environmental benefits.
The framework is aligned with the International Capital Market Association Green Bond Principles, the Asean Green Bond Standards and the Loan Market Association Green Loan Principles, it added.
Upon their issuance, the bonds would be the first US dollar-denominated Asean green bonds issued by a Philippine bank; and have the lowest coupon and yield ever paid for a US dollar-denominated bond from the Philippines and the lowest credit spread ever paid by a Philippine bank.
BPI Capital is the sole global coordinator for the transaction. BPI Capital, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Mizuho Securities and UBS are the joint lead managers and bookrunners.
BPI shares rose by 75 centavos or 0.86 percent to end at P87.75 each on Wednesday.