QNB Group Announced the Successful Closing of the Syndication for Its USD 3.5 Billion Three Year Senior Unsecured Term Loan Facility

(AETOSWire): QNB Group, the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa, announced the successful closing of the syndication for its USD 3.5 billion three year senior unsecured term loan facility. The syndication was well supported by 21 International Banks and the facility was upsized due to strong demand from the market. The new loan Facility will be used for general corporate purposes.

The syndication was fully underwritten by 9 Underwriters, including Bank of America Merrill Lynch International Limited (BAML), The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., Barclays Bank PLC, Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, Intesa Sanpaolo S.P.A., QFC Branch, Mizuho Bank Ltd. (Mizuho), Standard Chartered Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and United Overseas Bank Limited. BAML was mandated as the Documentation Co-ordinator while Mizuho was mandated as the Syndication Co-ordinator and Facility Agent.

The Group also announced that it had already repaid in full the earlier loan of USD3.0 billion syndicated loan prior to issuing the above mentioned new loan Facility.

QNB Group CEO Ali Al-Kuwari stated that “QNB Group is very happy at the successful refinancing and the upsizing of the existing syndicated loan facility, which is a reflection of the strong demand by the Top Tier Global Banks that want to continue to partner with QNB Group. This further reflects the investor community’s confidence in the Group’s strategy and the strength of our financial position particularly following the recent announcement of our robust 2017 financial results.”

About QNB

Qatar National Bank (Q.P.S.C.) (QNB Group) was established in 1964 as the country’s first Qatari-owned commercial bank, with an ownership structure split between the Qatar Investment Authority (50%) and the remaining (50%) held by members of the public. QNB Group has steadily grown to be the biggest bank in Qatar and the largest financial institution in the Middle East and Africa region. The Group’s presence through its subsidiaries and associate companies now extends to more than 31 countries across three continents providing a comprehensive range of advanced products and services. The Bank employs around 28,200 people operating through more than 1,230 locations, and has an ATM network of more than 4,300 machines. The Bank is among the highest rated regional banks with long term credit ratings of A/Aa3/A+ from Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch, respectively.