As more Japanese companies issued bonds in the primary market on Tuesday, the total amount of dollar and euro bonds issued by Japanese issuers this year is about to surpass $100 billions, setting a new record.
At least seven Japanese companies, including Nomura Holdings and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, have launched dollar bond issuances, making this week particularly busy in the global bond market.
HSBC Holdings Asia-Pacific Co-Head of Debt Capital Markets Daniel Kim said, "We are seeing a surge in offshore bond issuance by Japanese companies, thanks to increased M&A activity, massive foreign exchange capital expenditure needs, and investments in new technology areas such as artificial intelligence and data centers." He also mentioned the refinancing needs of issuers.
Corporations worldwide are scrambling to issue bonds to lock in the lowest yield premiums in decades in the dollar bond market. Japanese companies are increasingly making acquisitions both domestically and internationally. In July, Japanese telecom giant NTT issued the largest-ever dollar and euro bond in Asia-Pacific, totaling $17.7 billions, to refinance bridge loans for M&A transactions.
Data shows that so far this year, Japanese issuers have issued $93 billions in dollar and euro bonds, a 67% increase compared to the same period last year. Data also shows that the highest annual record for Japanese borrowers issuing bonds is about $98 billions.
In addition to Japanese issuers, State Bank of India and HSBC are also marketing bonds.