Progress as Ecobank’s shareholders agree to $400 million convertible bond issue
At the recent 29th Annual General Meeting and Extraordinary General Meeting, held in Lomé, weekend, shareholders of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’), the parent company of the Ecobank Group (‘Ecobank’ or ‘the Group’), approved the issue of up to $400 million in convertible bonds.
The convertible bond issue will have a maturity of 5 years and a coupon of 6.46% above 3-month LIBOR, with an option to convert at an exercise price of 6 US cents during the conversion period. The bonds will be on offer to all Ecobank shareholders on identical terms shortly. The proceeds have been earmarked to repay the bridging finance required to create a Resolution Vehicle to manage Ecobank’s legacy loan portfolio and to optimise the maturities of the Group’s debt portfolio.
Group Chairman, Emmanuel Ikazaboh, said “We are delighted with the strength of the support shown for the issue by our existing shareholders, as it vindicates the vigorous action taken to address our challenged legacy assets, as well as indicating their confidence in Ecobank’s future”.
“Nevertheless, it is a matter of great regret that the Board was unable to recommend the payment of a dividend in respect of 2016,” he continued. “Ecobank’s senior management is united in its firm resolve to work urgently, yet diligently, to reinstate cash dividends as soon as ETI’s financial position permits.”
Giving an insight on Ecobank’s recent performance, the group chief executive, Ade Ayeyemi, noted that “Despite continued macroeconomic challenges in some parts of the continent, all of our businesses are making meaningful progress, with an ongoing focus on cost discipline, stringent credit control and the increasing digitisation of our services to enhance the customer experience”.
According to him “We are proactively resolving our legacy loan issues, achieving $2 million of recoveries from the Resolution Vehicle in the first quarter of 2017. I am confident that these positive developments will be reflected in an improving performance from Ecobank going forward.”
Business Hilights recalls that the financial giant, incorporated in Lomé, Togo, in 1988 as Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (‘ETI’) the parent company of Ecobank is the leading independent pan-African banking group. It currently has a presence in 33 African countries, including Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Cô te d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Group employs over 17,500 people in 36 different countries in over 1,200 branches and offices. Ecobank is a full-service bank providing wholesale, retail, investment and transaction banking services and products to governments, financial institutions, multinationals, international organizations, medium, small and micro businesses and individuals.
