Adani Group closes in on $3.5 billion loan to refinance existing debt

The deal, which would be among the top 10 biggest loans in Asia this year, could be sealed this week, according to people familiar with the matter

By Saikat Das

Billionaire Gautam Adani-controlled Adani Group has completed a $3.5 billion funding package to refinance debt used to purchase Ambuja Cements Ltd., in the latest sign of confidence among creditors in the conglomerate.
 

The deal, which is among the top 10 biggest loans in Asia this year, was concluded with a group international banks with debt maturity of up to 3 years, the company said in a statement Friday. The borrowing is among the top 10 biggest loans in Asia this year.

“Adani Cement, through Endeavour Trade and Investment Ltd., has entered into definitive agreements” for the facility, it said.

The financing comes after months of negotiations with banks and follows allegations of fraud by US shortseller Hindenburg Research that caused the company’s bonds and shares to plunge earlier in the year. Adani has strongly denied those claims.   

While the statement didn’t give any pricing details, people familiar with the matter had earlier said that the loan would likely be priced at 450-500 basis points all-in-costs over the benchmark secured overnight finance rate. The deal would comprise three tenors: 6-month, 18-month and 3-year, they also said, as Bloomberg News had previously reported.

The group’s flagship firm already raised Rs 1,250 crore ($151 million) by issuing local-currency bonds in July, as the company sought to put the Hindenburg claims behind it.