‘MALAYSIA MULLS RETURN TO EUROPE’

Borrowing costs a main consideration, says adviser to PM

There are proposals, we are looking at what’s best for the country.

DR MUHAMMED ABDUL KHALID Economic adviser to the prime minister

MALAYSIA is considering proposals from banks for a possible return to European bond markets after a hiatus of well over a decade.

The country has received offers from quite a lot of lenders proposing to help it raise funds in euros or Swiss francs, according to Dr Muhammed Abdul Khalid, the economic adviser to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The last time Malaysia sold euro-denominated debt was in 2005, while its most recent Swiss franc offer was in 1998, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“There are proposals, we are looking at what’s best for the country,” said Muhammed in an

interview in Singapore yesterday.

“Importantly, is it better for the economy? Is it cheaper?”

Malaysia made its return to the Japanese debt market in March with a 200 billion yen (RM7.68 billion) offering, its first Samurai bonds since 1999.

If Malaysia goes through with a euro-denominated debt sale, it would follow in the footsteps of Indonesia, the only Asian nation to sell such debt last year, and the Philippines, which priced euro notes this month for the first time in 13 years.

Borrowing costs would be a main consideration, said Muhammed.

The total cost of Malaysia’s recent yen bond issuance was 0.63 per cent, helped by a guarantee by Japan Bank of International Cooperation.

The Philippines, which holds the same credit rating as Malaysia at Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, locked in a rate of 70 basis points above midswaps for its €750 million (RM3.5 billion) offering, which narrowed as much as 30 basis points from the initial price target range.