Arab News
Arab news,
Thu, Sep 04, 2025 | Rabi al-Awwal 12, 1447
Saudi Arabia raises $5.5bn in international sukuk issuance
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi Arabia’s National Debt Management Center has
completed the issuance of a $5.5 billion (SR20.63 billion) international sukuk
under the Kingdom’s Global Trust Certificate Issuance Program.
The offering, the country’s first international
sukuk based on an Ijarah structure, was issued in two tranches. The five-year
sukuk maturing in 2030 raised $2.25 billion (SR8.44 billion), while the 10-year
tranche maturing in 2035 secured $3.25 billion (SR12.19 billion), NDMC said in a
statement.
Investor demand was strong, with the order book
reaching about $19 billion — 3.5 times the issuance size — underscoring global
confidence in the Kingdom’s economic fundamentals and investment outlook.
The NDMC noted that the issuance aligns with its
strategy to diversify the investor base and meet Saudi Arabia’s financing
requirements through international debt capital markets in an efficient and
effective manner.
Global and regional banks played a key role in the
transaction. Citigroup, HSBC, JP Morgan, and Standard Chartered acted as joint
global coordinators and active book-runners.
ICBC and Mizuho joined as active joint lead
managers, while Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, and Al Jazira
Capital participated as passive joint lead managers.
A recent report by Kuwait Financial Centre, also
known as Markaz, showed Saudi Arabia led the Gulf region’s primary debt market
in the first half of 2025, raising $47.9 billion through 71 bond and sukuk deals
— 52.1 percent of the GCC total.
Global ratings agency S&P has also highlighted the
Kingdom’s role in driving Islamic finance, projecting global sukuk issuance to
reach $190 billion to $200 billion in 2025, with as much as $80 billion in
foreign currency offerings.