JSC Ukrzaliznytsia has paid off the first part of loan participation notes (LPN, eurobonds) in the amount of $150 million and paid the coupon on them, the company has reported on its website.
Ukrzaliznytsia Board Chairman Yevhen Kravtsov said that a loan for refinancing of the debt was raised on the domestic market. Oschadbank and the State Agency for Infrastructure Projects of Ukraine provided the funds.
“The funds were borrowed in the national and foreign currencies, and the currency-pegged liabilities were met. This additionally cut the potential risks for seeing exchange rate losses,” Kravtsov said.
He said that the payment on the bonds in due time again confirms support of the railway sector by the state and financial stability of Ukrzaliznytsia. It also shows to creditors that the state and company have a responsible attitude to servicing own debts.
As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia in May 2013 placed its debut $500 million eurobond issue with a maturity period of five years through the specially created company Shortline Plc.
Eurobonds of Ukrzaliznytsia, together with the securities of Oschadbank and Ukreximbank, were included in the restructuring of the external sovereign and government guaranteed debt initiated by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine after the IMF approved a new four-year extended fund facility for Ukraine for $17.5 billion.
In March 2016, Ukrzaliznytsia restructured its eurobonds, prolonging the maturity until September 15, 2021 and raising the interest rate from 9.5% to 9.875% per annum. Also, the repayment schedule for the principal loan amount was changed: 60% should be paid in 2019, 20% in 2020 and 20% in 2021.
At the end of 2018, the supervisory board of Ukrzaliznytsia, together with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport, stated the need to restructure Ukrzaliznytsia’s debt obligations in order to increase the borrowings pegged to the national currency.
In April 2018, Ukrzaliznytsia announced that it was considering the possibility of implementing a new issue of eurobonds pegged to the hryvnia in the amount of UAH 500 million to UAH 1 billion for a period of three to five years before the end of this year, and also received coordination by the ministries to issue domestic bonds with a total amount of UAH 2 billion.
