State Bank of India (SBI) on Friday said it has raised Rs 10,000 crore through infrastructure bonds, its fourth such issuance.
A press statement from the country’s largest lender said that the bonds were mobilised at a coupon rate of 7.49 per cent. The issue attracted an overwhelming response from investors with bids of Rs 21,045.10 crore and was subscribed more than five times against the base issue size of Rs 4,000 crore.
“The total number of bids received was 134, indicating a wider participation. The investors were across provident funds, pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds and corporate houses. The proceeds of bonds will be utilised in enhancing long-term resources for funding infrastructure and the affordable housing segment,’’ SBI said.
Based on the response, it accepted Rs 10,000 crore at a coupon rate of 7.49 per cent payable annually. Prior to this, the bank had raised long-term bonds of Rs 10,000 crore on August 1 and Rs 9,718 crore on January 19.
The bank has AAA credit rating with a stable outlook from all domestic credit rating agencies for these instruments. With the current issuance, the total outstanding long-term bonds issued by the bank stands at Rs 39,718 crore.
The issuance is very significant as it has been successful in raising long-duration bonds successively at a finer spread.
“We believe that this issuance may help in developing a long-term bond curve and encourage other banks to issue bonds of longer tenor,’’ it said.
In June, the lender had said it will raise up to Rs 50,000 crore through debt instruments from domestic as well as overseas markets in the current fiscal. SBI had reported its highest-ever quarterly profit at Rs 16,884 crore in the April-June quarter.
