Saudi Arabia's PIF wealth fund hires banks for debut sukuk

SAUDI Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has mandated banks to arrange its first dollar-denominated Islamic bond issue, a document showed on Monday (Oct 16).

The US$778 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF) mandated Citi, HSBC, JPMorgan and Standard Chartered Bank as global joint coordinators to organise a series of investor calls starting on Monday.

A dual tranche of 5- and 10-year tenor senior sukuk, or Islamic bonds, will follow, the document showed. The sale is subject to market conditions.

The issue would be PIF’s second this year, after it raised US$5.5 billion from green bonds in February.

PIF is the chosen vehicle of Crown Prince Mohammed Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, to drive an economic agenda aimed at cutting reliance on oil.

The wealth fund has raised tens of billions, including a US$17 billion loan in November, to fund a mammoth investment programme to create new industries and jobs, including building a planned futuristic city in the desert known as NEOM. REUTERS