09 Jun, 2021Emirates NBD rings Nasdaq Dubai’s market-opening bell to celebrate US$ 750 million bond listing

• This second listing in 2021 increases Emirates NBD’s listed bonds to US$ 5.1 billion, making it the largest financial services bond issuer on Nasdaq Dubai

Shayne Nelson, Group CEO of Emirates NBD, today rang the market-opening bell at Nasdaq Dubai to celebrate the listing of a US$ 750 million bond.

The listing of this additional Tier 1 Capital bond reinforces Emirates NBD’s position as the largest financial services bond issuer on Nasdaq Dubai through seven listings with a total value of US$ 5.1 billion. The US$ 750 million perpetual bond pays a coupon of 4.25%, the lowest pricing for a conventional Tier 1 bond from the UAE, and the second lowest from the Middle East.

The issuance was 2.3 times oversubscribed with a strong demand from the region. 64% of appetite came from Middle East, 12% each from Asia and Europe, 10% from UK and 2% from elsewhere.

Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Emirates NBD, said: “The successful issuance and listing of the second bond from Emirates NBD in 2021 underlines investor confidence in the fundamentals and prospects of the Bank as one of the largest banking groups in the region, as well as the growth outlook for the UAE’s economy. The UAE’s vaccination drive and proactive response to Covid-19 enabled commerce to swiftly reopen and the economy remains well-positioned to expand in 2021. Emirates NBD continues to actively facilitate customers to take advantage of growth opportunities.”

H.E. Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC and Chairman of DFM, said: “Dubai has successfully created world-class capital market regulations and infrastructure that support the growth of the financial services sector in the UAE and beyond. Dubai’s exchanges are committed to strengthening the Emirate’s role as a centre for capital-raising and promoting regional and international investor flow. The listing of Emirates NBD’s bond issuance on Nasdaq Dubai, the region’s international exchange, is a clear testament on issuers’ confidence in our robust capital market environment and proficiencies to better serve the growing requirements of various corporations.”

Abdul Wahed Al Fahim, Chairman of Nasdaq Dubai, said: “Nasdaq Dubai continues to enhance its listing infrastructure building upon the notable successes of the year 2020 that enabled us to accomplish a record year for new debt listings. We look forward to maintaining and strengthening our constructive framework for continuous collaboration with leading issuers and to host many significant listings in 2021 from prominent issuers in the UAE, the Middle East and globally, as economies’ recovery from the impact of Covid-19 accumulates further momentum.”

Dubai is the largest listing venue in the Middle East for US$ denominated debt listings, with a total value of US$ 93.126billion.

Shayne Nelson, Group CEO of Emirates NBD, said: "The success of our latest bond issue reflects investor confidence in the Group’s sound business strategy and the economy of Dubai and the UAE. Nasdaq Dubai provides us with excellent links to investors in the region and globally, together with high public visibility.”

Hamed Ali, CEO of Nasdaq Dubai and Deputy CEO of DFM, said: “The new listing from Emirates NBD endorses the exchange’s prominent status as the most favored listing venue for debt issuances in the Middle East. We are pleased to see leading corporations actively tapping into the market for issuances, which clearly demonstrate their determination to reinforce their pivotal role in financing the economic development in the country and the wider region.”