GEO
24 July, 2024

JSC "Liberty Bank" issues first public bond

JSC "Liberty Bank" issues first public bond

 

On 24 July, 2024, following the approval of the Preliminary Prospectus by the National Bank of Georgia, JSC Liberty Bank (the "Company") began the issuance process of US$25,000,000 (twenty-five million) inaugural public subordinated debt securities (the "Bond"). The issuance of the security will be made through a public offering from 8 August 2024 and will target qualified investors. The aim of the transaction is to raise tier two capital for the bank.

The placement and payment and calculation agent of the aforementioned bond issuance is "Alpha Capital Advisory" LLC. The legal advisor of the transaction is "BLC Law Firm" LLC.

Main parameters of the transaction are as follows:

Issuer

JSC Liberty Bank

Format

Public lister offer

Rank & security

Subordinated and Unsecured Bond

Size

25,000,000 (twenty-five million) US dollars

Denomination / minimum investment volume

Denomination 1,000 (one thousand) US dollars. The investment volume is not less than 100,000 (one hundred thousand) GEL equivalent to US dollars

Expected bond issuance date

8 August 2024

Maturity

7 years

Annual coupon rate & type

Fixed coupon rate to be determined at the time of the preliminary offer

Payment of interest

Semiannual

Type of investors

Qualified investors only

Legislation

Georgian Law

 

"Liberty Bank continues to advance its institutional development, evolving into a complex and sophisticated financial institution. As we progress, the bank is poised to attract interested investors, offering them the opportunity to become integral to our success story.

The results of our core transformations in recent years are evident, as reflected in the bank's profitability. We are confident that by issuing subordinated bonds, Liberty Bank will further solidify its position in the financial market, advancing with increased momentum and innovative products. On behalf of the management team and the supervisory board, I extend my gratitude to our agent, Alpha Capital Advisory, and the entire Liberty team for making this achievement possible. " – Vato Babunashvili, the CFO and Deputy CEO of JSC Liberty Bank.

"It should be noted that this debt security is the first inaugural, public issuance of the company in the capital market of Georgia. JSC "Liberty Bank" is one of the first banks that will seek financing in the local capital market through public bond issuance. The aspiration of Liberty Bank to provide business growth financing through the capital market is welcomed, which in turn, we believe, will contribute to deepening further diversification of funding and capitalization in the banking sector - and in turn strengthening the sector.

We hope that in order for the company to achieve its goals, the activity of qualified investors will be high. I would like to thank the management, supervisory board and shareholders of JSC "Liberty Bank" for their contribution to the development of the sector and the capital markets of Georgia. Lastly, this transaction represents the third security transaction in the banking sector by Alpha Capital Advisory, as an independent player in the capital markets of Georgia. As an independent player in the market, we hope to contribute to the development of the capital markets through many more interesting and innovative transactions and introducing new issuers to the market." – announced Irakli Elashvili, the managing partner of Alpha Capital Advisory LLC.