Post DDEP market activity: First corporate bond on GSE over subscribed

The Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), Abena Amoah has said that Bayport’s ability to raise GH¢50 million from the debt market was a signal that the Ghana Fixed Income Market (GFIM) has been officially re-opened, post the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

She said it was also a testament that confidence was returning to the market after a difficult few months.

The Bayport Savings and Loans (Ghana) Plc. successfully closed its ¢50 million two-year senior unsecured floating rate notes issuance last week, being the first series and tranche of notes under its newly established GH¢500 million medium-term notes and bond programme.

The notes were subsequently admitted to be listed on the Ghana Fixed Income Market segment of the Ghana Stock Exchange.

The issuance followed a series of robust investor engagements (including a physical roadshow) during which Bayport provided comprehensive updates to its stakeholders in the investor community on the issuer’s trading performance and business strategy.

In spite of the gloomy market backdrop at the time of issuance, occasioned by the effects of the recently concluded DDEP, participation was impressive with orders seen from a diverse pool of investors and was oversubscribed by 37 per cent.

Speaking in an interview with the Graphic Business after the listing of the notes on GFIM, Ms Amoah, said “today is very exciting because it is the first time we are seeing a corporate firm come to the market, raise GH¢50 million successfully, have it over subscribed and raise it at a relatively lower price than its previous issuances and have it listed on the market.”

This is important because we have seen how the last few months have been stressful for all players in the industry,” she stated.

She said the GSE was, therefore, using this opportunity to formally declare that the market was opened and companies should talk to their advisors, put together their plans, go and talk to investors and investors were willing to listen to well-run companies with plans.

For us at the GSE, we are optimistic that companies will take this opportunity and support investors that are looking for diversified products to invest in,” she noted.

She said the diversity of investors that showed interest tells the GSE that confidence was returning to the market.

Coming back to the market

The Chief Executive Officer of the Bayport Savings and Loans (Ghana) Plc, Akwasi Aboagye, also in an interview, said the company raised money from a number of sources which included deposit from customers and also raised long-term capital from the debt market.

He said in the last two years, the company had not been come to the market but following the end of the DDEP, it felt it was necessary to come back to the market on the back of the business that they have.

Even in the time when there was little activity, we still kept faith with our investors and had a lot of investor engagements.

“We then came back and was able to raise GH¢50 million from a diverse investor community,” he stated.

He said in the last seven to eight years, the company had raised GH¢474 million from the stock market and had always honoured all its obligations to investors.