ICBC to begin bond sales with issuance of $4.15b

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China said it would issue 30 billion yuan (US$4.15 billion) worth of total loss-absorbing capacity (TLAC) bonds on May 15, marking the first issuance of such bonds by a Chinese bank.

China's major state-owned lenders face growing pressure to raise capital, especially as demands mount to support the economy, property developers and local government financing vehicles.

The world's largest bank by assets said it would issue 20 billion yuan in a tranche of four-year bonds it can redeem at the end of three years, and 10 billion yuan in six-year bonds with conditional redemption at the end of five years. The details features in a bond prospectus released on the website of the Shanghai Clearing House on Saturday.

The proceeds are to be used to improve the bank's total loss absorbing capacity, it said, with the issue period to run from Wednesday to Friday.

The TLAC bonds, which are not counted in a bank's capital base, can be written off, or converted into common equities, when the bank enters the disposal phase.

Designated as global systemically important banks, five of the nation's biggest state banks, including ICBC, are stepping up efforts to meet stricter global regulatory rules on capital buffers.