Yen

Indian Railway Finance Corp has turned heads in the loan market with its request for up to $250m of 10 year money. While some market participants balked at the idea of 10 year commercial loans, those at the firm’s main target audience — Japanese banks — think the deal is worth a look. Shruti Chaturvedi reports.

A $350m-equivalent yen denominated borrowing for Indian power financier National Thermal Power Corp (NTPC) has entered primary syndication, testing the market’s appetite for a 10 year maturity.

Yes Bank has dipped its toes into the Japanese Samurai loan market for the first time to raise ¥16.5bn ($150m), placing it among a handful of Indian firms that have tapped into yen liquidity. The move could inspire other Indian financial institutions to follow — provided the pricing advantage holds. John Loh reports.

India’s Yes Bank has raised ¥16.5bn ($150m) in its maiden foray to the Japanese Samurai loan market, coming close on the heels of a $250m syndicated financing tied up with Taiwanese lenders a month ago.

Indian state-owned company Power Finance Corp (PFC) has sent a request for proposals for a loan of up to $300m, seven months after a failed attempt to raise $100m-equivalent from a 10 year deal.

International investors are recognising the progress that Abenomics has made in turning around Japan’s recently moribund economy. The long-awaited acceleration in domestic demand is finally taking place, while business confidence is high. But can this progress be maintained while inflation and government finances remain weak and North Korea pushes the region towards conflict?

ONGC Videsh (OVL) has closed its dual currency $844m equivalent loan with just one lender joining the dollar tranche in syndication, said a banker who arranged the borrowing.

ONGC Videsh (OVL), the overseas investment arm of Indian state-owned ONGC, is seeking a dual currency $844m-equivalent loan from the offshore syndication market.

The Republic of Indonesia priced a ¥100bn ($900m) bond on Wednesday, its first public Samurai deal in decades and its maiden fundraise following an upgrade to its credit rating. Although the issuer was forced to drop a 10 year tranche, its transaction was a blow-out, reflecting Japanese investors’ strong interest in foreign paper. Addison Gong reports.

The Republic of Indonesia released further guidance for its four-tranche yen transaction on Wednesday, with pricing expected in a week. The Samurai bond comes around the time the sovereign regained its investment grade status from the last of the three major ratings agencies

S&P has raised Indonesia’s long-term sovereign credit rating to BBB- from BB+ with a stable outlook, on the back of reduced risks to the country’s fiscal metrics. Seven corporates were also upgraded by the agency last Friday.

ONGC Videsh (OVL), the overseas investment arm of Indian state-owned ONGC, has selected three banks for a $500m term loan to replace a bridge from last year. The oil firm is also raising funds in yen, and has picked two Japanese lenders for the financing, said a source.