Seplat Issues Historic $650m Five-year Bond, Becomes Nigeria’s Largest-ever Oil and Gas Bond Issuer

Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc (Seplat), a leading Nigerian independent energy company listed on both the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE), has priced its offering of $650 million in an aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2026 (the notes).

The notes were priced at a yield of 7.75 per cent, representing a significant pricing reduction from its $350 million debut issuance in 2018, which priced at a yield of 9.50 per cent, with a coupon of 9.25 per cent. The size represents the largest ever Nigerian oil and gas bond issuance.

The offering was oversubscribed with demand from 120 global investors from more than 20 countries resulting in a final overbook in excess of $1.1 billion, which was 1.7 times book coverage.

Orders came from high-quality institutional investors with long-term commitments to Seplat as well as new institutional investors. The transaction was well received in the market and traded above par post-pricing.

The transaction shows confidence by the international market in the Nigerian economy and the oil and gas sector, with some of the investors committing to the transaction based on the strong gas story of Seplat.

The Global Coordinators on the transaction are Citi, J.P. Morgan, Standard Bank and Standard Chartered Bank, with Natixis, Rand Merchant Bank and Société Générale acting as joint book-runners and FCMB Capital Markets, Nedbank, United Bank for Africa and Zenith Bank Plc acting as co-managers.

Goddy Egene

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