#UAE to Follow Gulf Neighbors With First Eurobond Since September - Bloomberg

UAE to Follow Gulf Neighbors With First Eurobond Since September - Bloomberg

The United Arab Emirates is selling its first eurobonds since September, offering investors 10-year dollar debt.

The final terms, including the size and yield, will probably be announced later on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The oil-rich UAE has one of the highest credit ratings of any sovereign. It’s rated Aa2 by Moody’s Investors Service, the same as the UK and South Korea.

This will be only the country’s fourth eurobond as a federal entity. Though, Abu Dhabi, the capital, sold $5 billion of debt in April. The 10-year portion of that deal was priced with a yield of 5.04% and a spread of 45 basis points over comparable US Treasuries. It currently trades around 4.8%.

The UAE government has enjoyed a boom in the past few years thanks to high oil and natural-gas revenues. It’s one of the world’s richest countries and among just a few to mange over $1 trillion in sovereign-wealth funds.

While it doesn’t need to raise money from the bond market, the new deal could be aimed at improving liquidity in the debt curve, according to Zeina Rizk, co-head of fixed income at Amwal Capital Partners in Dubai. Investors are often more likely to trade a country’s bonds if it has plenty of maturities outstanding.

“It might just be to remain in the market, to keep the curve liquid,” Rizk said. “There is a lot of technical demand.”

Gulf nations have been particularly active in the international bond market this year, taking advantage of high demand. Saudi Arabia has sold $17 billion of debt, the most of any emerging market. Qatar and Bahrain have also tapped the market.

Credit Agricole SA, Emirates NBD Bank PJSC, First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC, HSBC Holdings Plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Standard Charted Plc are the main banks arranging the UAE’s bond.