Metropolitan Bank Plans International Roadshow For Tier 2 Bond

   By Cris Larano 
 

MANILA--Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. (MBT.PH), the Philippines' second-largest lender by assets, is planning an international roadshow to stoke investor interest in its planned issuance of Basel III compliant Tier 2 capital.

Metrobank, as the lender is better known, is awaiting central bank approval for its planned $500 million Tier 2 capital issuance.

The central bank will implement new Basel III rules that impose stricter capital standards starting January 2014. The rules require that any Tier 2 capital issue have a provision that allows banks to write them off or convert them to common equity if certain events are triggered, such as a bailout or nonviability of the bank.

Metrobank hired J.P. Morgan Securities PLC and UBS AG to arrange the meetings with international investors. It said the timing of the issuance of the U.S. dollar-denominated debt will depend on market and other conditions.

The bank in March doubled its authorized capital to 100 billion pesos (US$2.3 billion) to cover fresh capital-raising plans.

Write to Cris Larano at [e-mail]

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