UBS offers US$1 billion AT1s in fast start to its funding plan

UBS Group is offering dollar-denominated Additional Tier 1 notes just a day after setting out plans to sell billions more of the risky securities in the coming years.

The Swiss lender is offering US$1 billion of securities callable in April 2031 at an initial yield of about 8.375 per cent, according to a person with knowledge of the sale, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. It follows UBS’s return to the market in November, when it pulled in US$36 billion of orders for US$3.5 billion of AT1s across two tranches – a deal that marked a recovery of the market in a tumultuous year.

The new offer comes shortly after the bank outlined its plans to raise as much as US$2 billion of the deeply subordinated debt this year and keep lifting a capital buffer by 2029 through the “gradual build of AT1.”

Other European banks are planning Additional Tier 1 issuance of similar sizes this year. BNP Paribas is planning to issue 2.5 billion euros (S$3.6 billion) and Deutsche Bank plans 1 billion euros to 2 billion euros of AT1 and Tier 2. 

Santander has planned 4 billion euros to 5 billion euros of hybrid issuance in 2024 having already raised 3.8 billion euros, including prefunding last year, according to various bank earnings and fixed income presentations seen by Bloomberg.

The market for new AT1s by European banks has been busy this week. Dutch lender ING Groep raised more than US$1 billion, while Swedbank and Jyske Bank sold new debt in dollars and euros, respectively, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.

SEE ALSO

UBS restarts share buybacks, targets more cost cuts from Credit Suisse takeover

UBS launches biggest ad campaign in 7 years to ‘drive business’

UBS weighs cutting about 90 jobs at Asia wealth, bank teams

Asean Intelligence

Get insights into businesses across South-east Asia

Get the free report

AT1s – or contingent convertible bonds – were introduced after the financial crisis to ensure bondholders take losses first when a bank is in trouble while taxpayers are off the hook. They suffered the worst day of trading in their history in March after US$17 billion of Credit Suisse notes were wiped out as part of the lender’s takeover by UBS.

The market has since recovered, with spreads on a multi-currency index by Bloomberg indicated near their lowest level since last February. BLOOMBERG