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Dubai World wins creditors' support
By Adam Schreck |
September 11, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
DUBAI World said yesterday it had won over nearly all its creditors to a US$24.9 billion debt restructuring plan, bringing the struggling conglomerate closer to resolving a financial crisis that had dragged on for months.
By winning broad support for the revised terms, the state-run firm said it should be able to finalize the restructuring process in weeks.
It said it got the support of about 99 percent of its lenders, who represent nearly all the debt involved.
"This agreement formalizes a strong consensus around a fair and balanced restructuring proposal and is a key step towards putting Dubai World on a sound and stable financial footing whilst enabling it to realize the full potential of its underlying businesses," said Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai's Supreme Fiscal Committee.
Yesterday's announcement, which came during a holiday weekend in the region, moves Dubai closer to closure on at least one chapter of a crisis that has resonated well beyond the small Persian Gulf emirate.
Acute credit problems at Dubai World sent shock waves though global markets last November when the company unexpectedly announced -- again over a holiday weekend -- that it was seeking new terms on billions of dollars in debt.
That announcement was effectively an admission that the company didn't have the cash to cover all its bills, and reignited fears that the world's financial system remains exposed to immense amounts of debt that won't all be repaid as promised.
Dubai World has been seeking to win over 73 creditor banks to its restructuring plan, first outlined in March.
The proposal offers creditors full repayment on the principal of their outstanding loans over a five-to-eight year period, and gives them a range of repayment options. Some bankers have criticized the interest being offered, starting at 1 percent, as too low and below market rates.
In May, the conglomerate won the support of seven core banks that are owed about 60 percent of the debt. That group includes Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, HSBC Holdings Plc, Lloyds Banking Group Plc, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and Standard Chartered Plc. The other two are Emirates NBD and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.
The challenge since then has been getting dozens of smaller banks to agree to the plan -- something that appears to now be all but resolved.
By winning broad support for the revised terms, the state-run firm said it should be able to finalize the restructuring process in weeks.
It said it got the support of about 99 percent of its lenders, who represent nearly all the debt involved.
"This agreement formalizes a strong consensus around a fair and balanced restructuring proposal and is a key step towards putting Dubai World on a sound and stable financial footing whilst enabling it to realize the full potential of its underlying businesses," said Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai's Supreme Fiscal Committee.
Yesterday's announcement, which came during a holiday weekend in the region, moves Dubai closer to closure on at least one chapter of a crisis that has resonated well beyond the small Persian Gulf emirate.
Acute credit problems at Dubai World sent shock waves though global markets last November when the company unexpectedly announced -- again over a holiday weekend -- that it was seeking new terms on billions of dollars in debt.
That announcement was effectively an admission that the company didn't have the cash to cover all its bills, and reignited fears that the world's financial system remains exposed to immense amounts of debt that won't all be repaid as promised.
Dubai World has been seeking to win over 73 creditor banks to its restructuring plan, first outlined in March.
The proposal offers creditors full repayment on the principal of their outstanding loans over a five-to-eight year period, and gives them a range of repayment options. Some bankers have criticized the interest being offered, starting at 1 percent, as too low and below market rates.
In May, the conglomerate won the support of seven core banks that are owed about 60 percent of the debt. That group includes Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, HSBC Holdings Plc, Lloyds Banking Group Plc, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc and Standard Chartered Plc. The other two are Emirates NBD and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.
The challenge since then has been getting dozens of smaller banks to agree to the plan -- something that appears to now be all but resolved.
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