OREANDA-NEWS. November 22, 2013. ICBC issued offshore renminbi-denominated bonds for an aggregate principal amount of RMB 2 billion in London, according to a statement of the Bank.

The Bonds represent the first offering in London from the head office of a Chinese bank. ICBC's Bonds comprised two portions — a three-year tranche with an issue size of RMB 1.3 billion at a fixed annual coupon rate of 3.35%, and a five-year tranche worth RMB 700 million at a fixed annual coupon rate of 3.75%. The proceeds raised from the bond issue will be used to expand ICBC’s overseas RMB loan business.

The Bonds have been well received and over-subscribed by more than 4 times the original issue size. The initial interest rate continued to narrow down until finally priced at the lowest end of the guidance range. The Bonds attracted a diversified base of investors, including investors from Europe. Investors from Europe (including London) subscribed 30% of 3-year ICBC's Bonds and 35% of 5-year ICBC's Bonds.

London is the world's leading financial center. In offshore RMB/FX transactions, London plays a key role in the trading of RMB spots, RMB forwards, FX swaps and FX options. In trade finance, London market has witnessed robust growth since 2011, especially RMB-denominated letters of credit, the turnover of which grew 13 times in 2012 from the previous year. This reflects the increasing market liquidity of offshore RMB and strengthening corporate preference to use RMB.
According to industry insiders, a report published by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) in October shows that RMB has already overtaken the Swedish krona, the South Korean won and the Russian rouble as the world’s eighth most actively traded currency. Against this background, ICBC's RMB bond issuance in London not only offers more choices for RMB holders outside China to invest or raise capital, but also increases the liquidity of RMB market and opens up new vistas for offshore RMB market.

In recent years, ICBC has concentrated on expanding cross-border RMB services and extending RMB services outside China with a view to becoming the "Bank of Choice" in cross-border RMB services for customers around the world. On February 8, 2013, the People's Bank of China chose ICBC Singapore as the RMB clearing bank in Singapore. This is the first time China's central bank has designated a Chinese RMB clearing bank in a foreign country. As of the end of September, 2013, ICBC processed 1.5 trillion yuan in cross-border transactions. ICBC's RMB-clearing network has grown to cover 70 countries/territories worldwide. Cross-border RMB service is available in all ICBC overseas branches, under the permission of local regulatory authorities.