Indian Companies Race to Issue Short-Term Bonds Following Market Liquidity Shifts

Indian companies are rushing to raise short-term debt after the central bank's measures to support the rupee triggered a sharp fall in borrowing costs, four merchant bankers said.

Companies, led by non-banking financial firms, are raising more than 310 billion rupees ($3.24 billion) through up to five-year bonds this week, the bankers said. The supply is one-third of what was raised in April and May, according to Reuters data.

The Reserve Bank of India on Friday announced a raft of measures aimed at drawing dollars into the country, including raising subsidised deposits and incentivising banks and state-run companies to raise funds overseas.

This has pushed corporate borrowing costs lower by 40-45 basis points, per LSEG benchmark 'AAA'-rated corporate bond yields of up to five years, while the spread over government bonds has narrowed.

Corporate bond yields had risen to their highest in seven years in May.

A rise in overseas borrowings could reduce the need for local debt supply, leading to a rally in bonds below five years, said Ajay Marwaha, head of fixed income markets at global wealth firm Nuvama.

State-run REC raised three-year funds at a coupon of 7.34% earlier this week, much lower than prevailing levels in the secondary market. NABARD, another state-run financial institution, raised funds for three years at 7.34% after cancelling a similar issue in May where rates could have touched nearly 8%.

Other major non-bank lenders lining up debt sales include Bajaj Finance, Muthoot Finance, Bajaj Housing Finance and L&T Finance, with planned issuances of 85 billion rupees, 27.5 billion rupees, 20 billion rupees and 15 billion rupees, respectively.

Despite the recent rally in bonds, investor appetite remains strong on expectations of further gains.

"Investors with a more than 18-month investment horizon are looking at corporate bond funds that present an attractive investment opportunity from a relative risk-reward perspective," said Puneet Pal, head of fixed income at PGIM India Asset Management. ($1 = 95.6950 Indian rupees)

Also read: OpenAI Weighs AI Price Cuts Ahead of Upcoming Public Market, Says Report