Landbank generates 52% of ‘Premyo Bonds 2’ sales

STATE-RUN Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) announced it has facilitated more than 6,700 orders worth P3.42 billion for the 1-year peso-denominated Premyo Bonds 2 or “Premyo Bonds Para sa Bayan 2,” which represents 52 percent of the total P6.56 billion raised by the Bureau of the Treasury (BTR) from the bond offering.

The bulk or P2.98 billion of Landbank’s total “Premyo Bonds 2” sales were generated via over-the-counter placements at Landbank branches, while a total of P78.5 million in sales were generated through the bank’s online channels.

Of the P78.5 million online sales, P40.7 million was transacted through the pilot launch of the bond purchase feature in the mobile banking application of the Overseas Filipino Bank (Ofbank), the digital-only branchless bank subsidiary of Landbank. The remaining P37.8 million was generated through Landbank’s Link.bizportal via the Btr’s online ordering facility.

“Despite a pandemic-induced recession, we observed wider participation for the Premyo Bonds 2 offering. This became possible through more accessible online ordering platforms, which include the Ofbank mobile banking application (MBA) that encouraged more Filipinos abroad to invest their hard-earned money in safe and affordable government securities,” Landbank President and CEO Cecilia C. Borromeo said.

It was the first time that the Ofbank MBA was utilized as an online ordering facility for the “Premyo Bonds,” following the Ofbank’s launch as a digital-only, first branchless Philippine government bank on June 29, 2020.

The Ofbank MBA allowed Filipinos from 63 countries abroad such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Qatar and Singapore to invest in the “Premyo Bonds 2” through their smartphones, free of charge.

Meanwhile, the state-run lender also generated total sales of P362 million under the Btr’s exchange offer program whereby bondholders of Premyo Bonds Tranche 1 could exchange their holdings for the latest “Premyo Bonds 2” offering.

The P6.56 billion total sales generated from “Premyo Bonds 2” is more than double the P3-billion target of the BTR. Proceeds from the issuance will help fund the country’s educational programs, public infrastructure, and economic recovery in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and recent natural calamities.

Landbank is lead issue manager for the “Premyo Bonds 2” offering.