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China property
BusinessChina Business

Dalian Wanda wins consent from bondholders to restructure US$600 million bond, weaken debt covenants

  • Bondholders have given their consent and votes amounting to 99.3 per cent of the 2024 note’s face value
  • Proposal to extend bond maturity by 11 months, weaken debt covenants to be voted at a meeting in Hong Kong on December 13

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The Dalian Wanda group’s Qingpu shopping mall in Shanghai seen on May 25, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg
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Dalian Wanda Commercial Management Group said its bondholders have given their consent to extend the maturity of a US$600 million bond by 11 months, giving one of China’s biggest commercial landlords some breathing room to alleviate a funding crisis amid an industry slump.

The group received consent from investors holding 99.3 per cent of the face amount of the bond when the early-consent deadline expired at 4pm London time on November 29, according to a Hong Kong exchange filing. That also surpassed the 66 per cent quorum for the meeting to consider the maturity extension proposal, it added.

The group is “very pleased and encouraged by the enthusiastic support from bondholders” who have voted in favour of the proposal,” the filing on Thursday said. “This is testimony to the confidence of the bondholders in the issuer.”

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Dalian Wanda offered bondholders 1 cent on the dollar in early-consent fees. It is also giving 2.5 cents for their vote in favour of the proposal by the second deadline at 4pm on December 8. That proposal will be put to vote at 10.30am local time on December 13 in the office of law firm Linklaters in Hong Kong.

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Wanda Properties is seeking to delay the bond maturity by 11 months to December 29, 2024. The bond, which pays 7.25 per cent annual coupon, comes due on January 29 next year. The company said on November 21 that it might not be able to repay on time, having drained 18 billion yuan (US$2.5 billion) of cash since January to retire other onshore and offshore debt.

China’s real estate industry, including the commercial property management sector and the related sectors, has been affected by economic slowdown, fluctuations in the financial markets and other adverse market conditions, hurting the group’s business and cash flows, Dalian Wanda said.

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Under its bond restructuring plan, Dalian Wanda has agreed to repay 10 per cent of the US$600 million bond on January 5, 20 per cent on May 29, 30 per cent on September 29 and the rest upon maturity, according to its solicitation document. The landlord also sought to loosen the bond covenants, including removing some default-event clauses and put option features.

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