Saudi Aramco is back in the bond market with a two-part USD-denominated sale, and it’s already drawing serious attention with orders reportedly exceeding USD 20 bn, Bloomberg reports, citing sources it says are familiar with the matter. The final size hasn’t been set yet, the sources added.

The high demand tightened the yields: The issuance includes a five-year tranche priced at 70 basis points above US Treasuries and a 10-year slice at 80 bps. Both came in about 35 basis points tighter than what the company initially hinted at.

This is Aramco’s second USD-denominated issuance this year, after raising USD 5 bn inMay to fund projects and cover its beefy dividends. The oil giant said it may keep borrowing, including through commercial paper.

IN CONTEXT- With Aramco shares down 17% this year, selling bonds is looking a lot more attractive than selling shares. Yields on its USD debt maturing in 2035 have already dropped by 50 basis points to 4.92% since May. Aramco’s borrowing comes as the company’s finances feel some pressure after net debt hit USD 30.8 bn in the three months ending June, the highest level in three years, while net income dropped for a tenth straight quarter on the back of softer oil prices.

Part of a bigger Saudi wave: It’s the third big transaction in just a week, afte the government and the Public Investment Fund raised USD 7.5 bn combined. The Kingdom borrowed nearly USD 20 bn so far this year, getting close to a record set in 2017, making it one of the busiest emerging market borrowers around.

ADVISORS- Our friends at HSBC, alongside Al Rajhi Capital, Citi, Dubai Islamic Bank, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Goldman Sachs International, JP Morgan, KFH Capital and Standard Chartered Bank are serving as active joint bookrunners. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Albilad Capital, Alinma Capital, Bank of China, Emirates NBD Capital, Mizuho, MUFG, Sharjah Islamic Bank and SMBC are passive joint bookrunners.

MORE ISSUANCES-

#1- Al Rajhi wraps FCY debt sale: Al Rajhi bank raised USD 1 bn from the sale of tier 2 social trust certificates, priced at a yield of 5.651%, according to a bourse disclosure, with proceeds earmarked to support its financial and strategic objectives. The Reg S-compliant notes carry a 10.5-year maturity callable after five years. The issue, announced earlier this week as part of the lender’s international trust certificate program will be listed on the London Stock Exchange. Settlement is due for Tuesday, 16 September.

ADVISORS-The bank lined up a syndicate of global banks including our friends at HSBC, alongside Citi, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, DBS Bank, MUFG Securities EMEA, Natixis, Nomura International, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and Standard Chartered and Al Rajhi Capital as joint leads and bookrunners.

#2- Bank AlJazira eyes AT1 sale: Bank AlJazira is planning to issue USD-denominated additional tier 1 (AT1) capital certificates under its newly established AT1 sukuk issuance program, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The size and pricing of the offering — open to both local and international investors — are subject to market conditions. This comes a little under one year after Bank AlJazira last tapped the debt market with an AT1 sukuk sale.

ADVISORS-The bank mandated our friends at Mashreq alongside its own unit AlJazira Capital, as well as Citi, JP Morgan, Standard Chartered, Dubai Islamic Bank, and Emirates NBD as joint leads and bookrunners.

DATA POINT- Saudi banks are leaning harder on hybrid capital instruments to fund growth, S&P Global says. Local lenders issued USD 9.5 bn in sukuk YTD as of late August, up from USD 5.3 bn over the same period last year. Of this, USD 4.2 bn were AT1s, more than double the USD 2 bn raised a year earlier.

Why all the AT1 action? The surge comes as lending growth outpaces deposits under Vision 2030, pushing banks to diversify their funding mix while shoring up capital buffers, the rating agency said. AT1s are attractive because they count toward regulatory capital, carry coupons competitive with senior sukuk, and allow issuers to suspend distributions or write down principal if capital levels fall.

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