The PIF sold USD 4 bn in a bond issuance yesterday, with yields priced at 95 basis points over US treasuries for the 5-year tranche and 110 basis points for the 9.5-year tranche, Bloomberg reports, citing sources it said are in the know. The issuance received USD 16 bn in orders, excluding joint lead manager interest, the sources said.

This is PIF’s second major move on debt markets this year: The fund completed a USD 7 bn murabaha credit facility earlier this month, backed by a syndicate of 20 unnamed international and regional financial institutions as part of its “medium-term capital raising strategy.”

ADVISORS- BNP Paribas SA, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, HSBC Holdings, JPMorgan Chase, and Standard Chartered managed the issuance, sources said.

ALSO ON OUR DEBT WATCH-

The Finance Ministry closed its January sukuk issuance, raising SAR 3.7 bn from fixed-income investors, significantly down from SAR 11.6 bn raised in December, according to a statement (pdf) by the National Debt Management Center. This is part of the government’s SAR-denominated Sukuk program.

January’s issuances shifted towards fewer tranches and slightly extended maturities compared to December. Yields remained steady for shorter tenors but saw a slight uptick for longer-term debt. The issuance was structured in four tranches:

  • A 4-year tranche valued at SAR 1.26 bn with a 5.12% yield;
  • A 7-year tranche valued at SAR 1.41 bn with a 5.19% yield;
  • An 11-year tranche valued at SAR 1.04 bn with a 5.26% yield;
  • A 14-year tranche valued at SAR 27.5 mn with a 5.05% yield.

IN CONTEXT- The shift comes against the backdrop of the approved FY 2025 borrowing plan and the Kingdom’s intention to diversify its borrowing portfolio during the new fiscal year. It looks to expand its creditor base by tapping fresh local and foreign lenders, in a bid to raise SAR 139 bn to foot a SAR 101 bn budget deficit and SAR 38 bn in maturing loan repayments.

A snapshot of total outstanding debt: The Kingdom’s total direct debt stood at SAR 1.216 tn (USD 324.2 bn) as of the end of December 2024, consisting of SAR 738.3 bn (USD 196.6 bn) in domestic debt and SAR 477.7 bn (USD 127.4 bn) in external debt, according to NDMC’s website.

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