Masdar closes green bond sale: State-owned renewables giant Masdar raised USD 1 bn in its third benchmark green bond issuance, which was 6.6x oversubscribed by international and regional investors, it said in a press release. The latest issuance brings the firm’s total outstanding green bonds to USD 2.75 bn, and comes nearly two years after its maiden green bond offering, which saw it rake in some USD 750 mn. It closed a similar USD 1 bn issuance in July of last year.

About the bond: The dual-tranche offering consisted of five- and 10-year bonds worth USD 500 mn each with coupons of 4.875% for the five-year tranche, and 5.375% for the 10-year tranche. The issuance, which was rated AA- by Fitch and A1 by Moody's, is set to be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

This is Masdar’s tightest spread on record: Pricing landed at 80 bps over US treasuries for the 5-year and 90 bps for the 10-year notes, marking Masdar’s lowest-ever borrowing cost relative to benchmark rates after strong investor demand allowed the company to tighten pricing by 35 bps from initial guidance of 115 bps and 125 bps.

Who bought in: Some 85% of the offering was allocated to international buyers, with the remaining 15% placed with regional investors.

Use of proceeds: Proceeds from the sale will be used to invest in new greenfield renewable energy projects, in line with Masdar’s updated green finance framework, which — as of last year — also includes green hydrogen and standalone battery storage.

What they said: “The funds raised will be critical in Masdar achieving its portfolio capacity targets and will enable us to support energy transformation across the globe, especially in emerging markets and developing economies, which are often in most urgent need of investment,” CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said.

ADVISORS- Masdar mandated First Abu Dhabi Bank, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, JP Morgan, ING, Intesa Sanpaolo, Bank of China, DBS Bank, BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole as joint lead managers and bookrunners.

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