Dubai eyes bonds to finance new wave of property projects
Bond market set to play a bigger role after investors focused on bank debt in past years
Dubai real estate developers may issue bonds to fund a growing pipeline of new projects, and market movements suggest they would attract strong investor demand despite the sector's crisis just a few years ago.
In the past, most property and construction firms in the Emirate relied almost exclusively on bank finance. But although local banks are flush with cash, that strategy may not work as the next building cycle begins.
The partial pull-out of European banks from the region has reduced the number of lenders, while many banks want to diversify their exposure since the crisis. The United Arab Emirates central bank is drafting rules to limit bank exposures to state-linked entities, and the state holds large stakes in most of Dubai's big real estate developers.
So the bond market is set to play a bigger role in the real estate sector in coming years, giving regional investors access to a wider range of credits after they were forced to focus largely on bank debt in the last several years.
"Property firms like Nakheel have already borrowed from local and international banks, and lenders may not be willing or allowed to lend any further to these companies and increase their exposure," said Ambereen Jiwani, senior analyst at Securities & Investment Co (SICO) in Bahrain.
"From an investor's point of view, debt instruments by government-linked property firms will be attractive based on the risk premium offered over sovereign bonds. The Dubai real estate market has staged a recovery and investor confidence has improved," he said.