Monday 21 December 2009

Dubai World May Not Present Standstill Offer Yet, Bankers Say

Dubai World, which is seeking to restructure about $22 billion of debt, may be unable to present a “standstill” offer to lenders today as the terms of government support for the state-owned holding company have yet to be agreed, two bankers involved in the talks said.

The complexity of Dubai World Group and its funding structure are to blame for the delay, one banker said, citing a Dec. 18 letter from the company’s Chief Restructuring Officer Aidan Birkett about the agenda for the meeting with creditors. The meeting is unlikely to be substantive and will focus on information sharing, another banker said. Both declined to be identified because the discussions are private. A spokesman for Dubai World would not to comment.

Dubai World, one of the emirate’s three main state-owned business groups, announced Nov. 25 it would seek to freeze or delay repaying debt until at least May 30. The company said Dec. 1 it wants to alter terms on about $26 billion of debt, including of property unit Nakheel PJSC, which is building palm tree-shaped islands off the emirate’s coast. It repaid $4.1 billion on an Islamic bond from Nakheel last week after Dubai received a $10 billion loan from Abu Dhabi.

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