Corporates Set To Raise Rs 1,200 Crore Debt

The corporate debt market is likely to witness at least Rs 1,200 crore of new issues by next week, an indication that corporates are back in the debt market after waiting long for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to cut the bank rate, say merchant bankers.

Investment banking sources said that two big corporates, Birla AT&T and Bharti Telecom, are to hit the market soon, with issue sizes of around Rs 60 crore and Rs 200 crore, respectively. The details of the these issue are in the finalisation stage.

Dewan Housing Finance Corporation will make a private placement of secured non-convertible debenture issue to raise around Rs 50 crore, which includes a Rs 25 crore notified amount and a Rs 25 crore greenshoe option.

The two options of the issue, with maturity periods of five years and seven years, bear coupon rates of 11.35 per cent and 11.50 per cent, respectively, payable annually.

Darashaw and Company and Kotak Mahindra Capital Company are the lead arrangers for the issue.

Two other corporations, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Bharti Mobile, have raised Rs 500 and Rs 210 crore, respectively, from the market. The BPCL issue closed yesterday, while the Bharti Mobile issue closed today.

The lead arrangers for the BPCL issue are ABN Amro Securities (India) Pvt Ltd, DSP Merrill Lynch, ICICI Securities and Finance Company, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company and SBI Capital Markets. Deutsche Bank and DSP Merrill Lynch managed the issue for Bharti Mobile.

Besides private corporates, state run infrastructure development corporations are raising money. Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation (GMIDC) is planning to raise Rs 350 crore from the market. Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) intends to raise Rs 346 crore, which includes a greenshoe option of Rs 96 crore.

Tapi Irrigation Development Corporation (TIDC) also has a plan to raise Rs 250 crore from the market, which comprises a notified amount of Rs 150 crore and a greenshoe option of Rs 100 crore.

All these issues have the three options with maturity periods of five years (coupon rate 12 per cent), seven years (coupon rate 12.25 per cent) and 10 years (12.50 per cent).

National Highway Authorities India (NHAI) is also likely to hit the market, but the issue size is yet not decided.

A corporate bond dealer with a brokerage house said, "Though the central bank has not cut the bank rate, the sentiment has improved a lot due to the reduction in cash reserve ratio and the repo rate. Moreover, corporates who need funds want to complete the borrowing by the end of the first quarter as in the second quarter generally sees the interest rates moving up."