Latvia raises €650m with long-term bond issue

Take note – story published 7 years ago

Latvia on Tuesday issued €650 million worth of bonds with the longest maturity period in Latvia’s history - 20 years, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

This 20-year emissions are a considerable statement of confidence in the country future prospects, particularly given the relatively low coupon rates offered (annual fixed coupon rate of 1.375, yield to maturity 1.514 percent).

The emission is a feather in the cap for new Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola who said: "For a long time, the treasury has carefully watched international capital market developments and is now able to conclude a deal issuing long-term bonds with rates near historic lows. The deal will not only enable us to refinance previous commitments and reduce public debt servicing costs, but will also provide access to cheaper financial resources in our budget."

More than 150 investors from different countries participated, with money coming from Germany, Great Britain, Scandinavia, and other countries.

Top merchant banks JP Morgan, HSBC, Natixis and Swedbank led the deal.

According to the Treasury central government debt at the end of the first quarter was 8.4 billion euro, or around 33% of the projected 2016 GDP - much lower than in most Eurozone countries.

The previous Latvian bond issue in international financial markets took place in December 2015, when five-year bonds worth  €550 million were sold.

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