Emirates REIT Debt Exchange Offer Rejected by Group of Creditors - Bloomberg

Emirates REIT Debt Exchange Offer Rejected by Group of Creditors - Bloomberg

A group of Emirates REIT creditors has rejected a proposal to exchange $400 million of sukuk securities for new notes and said they have the numbers to block it.

In a statement on Wednesday, the certificate-holders said their position was communicated to the company and asked for a meeting the following day “to discuss the concerns of the Ad-Hoc Group and its requirements for the restructuring process.” Rothschild & Co. and Clifford Chance are advising the group.

The creditors formed a so-called steering committee that includes several certificate-holders with large exposure to lead the talks with Emirates REIT, according to a separate document seen by Bloomberg. The steering committee consists of Aberdeen Standard Investments Ltd, GFH Financial Group, Sancta Capital, Shuaa Capital PSC and Oasis Management Co Ltd, the document showed.

The Shariah-compliant real estate investment trust last week offered to exchange the unsecured sukuk securities due in 2022 for new secured notes maturing in 2024. Under the plan, the REIT’s coupon payments would be deferred for a year and be paid at maturity. The existing sukuk’s 5.125% rate is to be maintained.

The proposed transaction would represent “a material reduction in terms for lenders and is therefore viewed” as a distressed debt exchange, according to Fitch Ratings, which downgraded the Dubai-listed REIT to near-default status on Monday.

Emirates REIT has said it needs to improve its balance sheet after the global pandemic compounded a property slump in Dubai.

The REIT last year hired Houlihan Lokey Inc. as an adviser to help it review its options and has been considering a potential delisting from Nasdaq Dubai. It’s also said that the Dubai Financial Services Authority is investigating matters connected to its management.

The group of dissenting creditors said it represents a blocking majority to the offer and includes 13 institutions, with investors from the Gulf region, Europe, North America and Asia, alongside banks from the United Arab Emirates. It set out a list of conditions to develop a revised proposal, saying it would have to address issues ranging from governance to management fees and operating costs.

“The Ad-Hoc Group is prepared to work to reach a quick and efficient resolution,” it said in the statement.