UAE issuers — alongside others in the region like Saudi sovereign wealth fund PIF — are taking advantage of positive market conditions following weeks of instability with fresh issuances. Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ is selling a USD 1 bn dual-tranche bond, while DP World has priced a USD 1.5 bn sukuk, and Omniyat Holdings issued its debut USD 500 mn sukuk.

The rationale: “Markets were volatile in the first two weeks of April. Spreads widened as US tariff policy uncertainty weighed on sentiment,” Basel Al-Waqayan, Bloomberg Intelligence’s fixed-income strategist for the Middle East and Africa, told Bloomberg. “Now primary markets are more constructive on the back of US Treasury rates rallying back — so issuers can price competitively.”

#1- ADQ prices dual tranche issuance at USD 1 bn: ADQ has priced its USD 1 bn dual tranche five- and 10-year benchmark senior unsecured notes after they received strong investor interest, with books exceeding USD 7 bn, Zawya reports, citing investor information it has seen.

The details: The five year-tranche has a coupon rate of 4.50%, with a 4.635% yield and a spread of 85 basis points above US Treasuries of similar maturities. The 10-year tranche has a coupon rate of 5%, yield of 5.129%, and a spread of 95 basis points above US Treasuries. The notes’ spreads tightened overnight following strong demand from investors on Tuesday, narrowing from initial price thoughts of 115 basis points above US Treasuries for the five-year notes and 125 for the 10-year notes.

A vote of confidence: The order book interest for the issuance “signals robust investor confidence in Abu Dhabi’s economic fundamentals and sovereign-linked credit quality,” National Bank of Kuwait’s Issa Hijazeen told EnterpriseAM. “This issuance comes only a few days after Adnoc’’s first ever issuance of Islamic sukuk of USD 1.5 bn, pointing to the confidence in the UAE economy despite mounting headwinds,”

Refresher: The 144A and Reg S notes will be listed on the London Stock Exchange, with settlement scheduled for 6 May. Proceeds from the latest issuance will be used for general corporate purposes, ADQ said previously.

The participants: Active joint lead managers and active bookrunners include Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Barclays, Citibank, Emirates NBD Capital, HSBC, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), and IMI Intesa Sanpaolo. First Abu Dhabi Bank acted as passive bookrunner.

IN CONTEXT- This is the third dual-tranche issuance under ADQ’s Global Medium Term Note Program, which was launched in 2024 as the sovereign fund sought to diversify its funding sources for future acquisitions. The program debuted with a USD 2.5 bn dual-tranche issuance last May, which was 4.4x oversubscribed with over USD 11 bn in orders, followed by a USD 2 bn two-part offering in September that attracted USD 8 bn in bids.

#2- DP World also priced a USD 1.5 bn sukuk, drawing some USD 3.6 bn in orders, Bloomberg reported, citing sources in the know. The sukuk will be issued on 8 May, Zawya reports. The 144A Reg S sukuk attracted orders exceeding USD 3 bn, including a joint lead manager interest of USD 151. The initial price guidance was set at 175 basis points above US Treasuries. DP World’s special purpose entity, DP World Crescent, held investor calls for this issuance earlier this week, Zawya reported earlier.

The debt instrument will be under DP World’s USD 7.5 mn trust certificate issuance program and will be a manafae structure. The proceeds of this issuance will go towards general corporate purposes. The sukuk are set to be listed on the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Dubai.

ADVISORS- Our friends at Mashreq, along with ADCB, Citi, Deutsche Bank, DIB, Emirates NBD, FAB, HSBC, JP Morgan, Société Generale, and Standard Chartered Bank will act as joint bookrunners.

REMEMBER- DP World issued the Mena region’s first blue bond worth USD 100 mn back in December 2024. It was also looking to raise at least USD 1 bn from a 10-year USD-denominated green sukuk issuance in 2023.

#3- Dubai-based developer Omniyat Holdings maiden USD 500 mn green sukuk issuance was 3.6x oversubscribed, according to a press release. The issuance was upsized from USD 400 mn initially and priced at a yield of 8.375%, slightly tightened from early guidance in the 8% range.

Why it matters: The issuance marks Omniyat’s shift from private loan markets to public debt, and signals rising demand for green-labelled instruments from UAE real estate players. It also adds to the momentum in regional ESG debt issuance.

ADVISORS- Our friends at Mashreq, along with Citi, ADCB, DIB, ENBD Capital, JP Morgan, and Standard Chartered Bank are the joint global coordinators. Mashreq, Citi, ADCB, Ajman Bank, Bank of Sharjah, CBD, DIB, ENBD Capital, FAB, JP Morgan, Kamco Invest, RAKBANK, Sharjah Islamic Bank, Standard Chartered and Warba Bank are joint lead managers and joint book runners.

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