Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Submitted by:
Preeti gupta
(200709 Batch)
Table of Contents
Summer Project Certificate......4
Acknowledgement..5
Executive Summary...6
1) Indian Power Sector: ....7
1.1 Introduction..7
1.2 Privatization...13
1.3 Highlights of Performance....14
1.4 Demand side Management: Recommendations..16
1.5 Supply side Management: Recommendations17
2) Power Finance Corporation: Overview.18
3) Resource Mobilization Unit29
3.1 Rupee Resources (Domestic).29
3.2 Foreign Currency Resources (International)..30
3.3 The 3 Main Decisions Taken by RMU.....31
3.4 Instruments Used By PFC to Raise Funds in Domestic Market...........34
4) Indian Debt Market.37
5.1 Overview.37
5.2 Market Micro Structure....41
5) Capital Market: Fixed Income Market.............46
4.1 Introduction....46
4.2 Classification of Bond Market......47
4.3 Bonds Market Instruments...49
4.4 Factors Influencing Bond Market....51
6) Corporate Bond.......52
6.1 Convertibles and Exchangeables..52
6.2 Adjustment Events.....56
6.3 Why Invest in Convertible Bonds: Investors perspective.60
7) Some General Underlying Legal Issues in Convertible...61
7.1 SEBI Guidelines.....62
7.2 Guidelines for Preferential Issues.................................67
Jagan Institute of Management Studies, New Delhi.
Acknowledgement
This project would have been difficult to complete without the invaluable contributions
from some important persons. Let us take this opportunity to thank them.
First of all, we would like to thank Power Finance Corporation Ltd for giving us such
challenging projects to work upon. We hope this challenge has brought the best out of us.
We are indebted to our project guide Mr. Milind M. Dafade, Sr. Manager (Finance),
Resource Mobilization Unit, for the direction and purpose he gave to this project through
his invaluable insights, which constantly inspired us to think beyond the obvious. His
encouragement and co-operation helped us instill a great degree of self-confidence to
deliver a good work. We are also thankful to Mrs. Parminder Chopra (DGM) and Ms.
Tabassum for taking constructive interest in our project and providing us valuable support
at many points of time.
We are also thankful to all the employees of Power Finance Corporation who provided us
with an environment conducive for learning during the last two months.
We hope we can build upon the experience and knowledge that we have gained here and
make a valuable contribution towards this industry in the coming future.
Preeti Gupta
Executive Summary
As Indian economy has been growing at a rapid and impressive pace averaging over
8.5% and Electricity is one of the most vital infrastructure inputs for economic development of a
country; the country needs a commensurate growth in the Power Sector also. So, even
Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has to live up to its impeccable image of being a
leading Power Sector Financial Institution in the country. PFC is committed to act as a
catalyst for reforming Indias Power Sector to mobilize various types of resources at
competitive rates and further lend the funds to enable availability of required quality
power at minimum cost to consumers. Herein lays the justification of the project
undertaken.
Our project attempts at analyzing various present and prospective sources of finance that
can be used by PFC to maximize rate of return through efficient borrowing & lending and
introduction of innovative financial instruments for the power sector. With the blurring of
geographical boundaries after globalization, taking advantage of the global markets for
mobilizing resources at a cheaper rate has become a necessity to sustain and grow. Hence,
exploring the possibilities of mobilizing resources through innovative routes becomes a
natural extension for any Power Financing Corporation.
The following project aims at working out the possibility of issuing Convertible Bonds
and MIBOR-linked Bonds in the Domestic market as a means of resource mobilization.
As PFC is a Public Sector Undertaking, issuing Convertible Bonds will although lead to
dilution of Governments stake in the undertaking but it can turn out to be a good a
source of finance bringing in hordes of funds, the benefits of both Debt & Equity and at
the same time can help in containing the Debt-Equity Ratio of the corporation within the
financial covenants specified by the corporations lenders. At the same time, resorting to
another option of issuing MIBOR-linked Bonds can further expand the horizon of sources
of finance for the corporation. It can help the corporation in enjoying the advantage of
market-linked interest rates and avoiding a fixed rate of interest which has to be paid
irrespective of the market conditions prevailing in the economy.
Our project has thrown open two new ways of mobilizing funds in the Domestic market
which if implemented can definitely reduce the cost of borrowings for the corporation
and can facilitate in achievement of the Corporations long term goal of catapulting the
sustainable development of Indian Power Sector.
The following graph shows a near doubling of per capita consumption of electricity from
about 350 units in 1998 to over 600 units in 2005.
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processes, invest in modern IT systems for billing, MIS, tracking, energy audit etc., train
their operating staff to improve their management, commercial and technical skills, and
undertake other such performance improvement measures. All of this provides significant
business opportunities to various service providers.
Government of India (GoI) has launched Ultra Mega Power Projects initiatives to step
11
Circuit KM
1,500
439
6,170
7,390
7,863
4,927
3,000
5,872
765/800 KV
400 KV
220 KV
HVDC
Distribution
In principle approval accorded for 90 projects with an outlay for Rs.1588 crore to
strengthen the distribution system in urban areas
More than Rs.2030 crore utilized under APDRP for strengthening & up gradation
of electricity distribution network.
Incentive for cash loss reduction has been disbursed to Kerala, Punjab and West
Bengal.
Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Meghalaya,
Chattisgarh and West Bengal have reported profits during 2005-06. Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttaranchal, Karnataka, Kerala and Assam
have reported reduction in losses during 2005-06.
Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Tamil Nadu have AT&C losses below 20% during
2005-06. Punjab and 2 DISCOMs of Gujarat (Madhya & Uttar) have AT&C
losses below 25% during 2005-06.
Action plan prepared for franchising in urban areas to reduce AT&C losses and
improve efficiency in distribution. Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh
have invited tenders for franchisee in urban areas. The first urban franchisee has
been awarded by Maharashtra in Bhiwandi town.
5304 engineers of State distribution utilities were trained under Distribution
Reforms capacity building programme.
Started the Advanced Certificate Programme in Distribution Management in
collaboration with IGNOU, about 1212 have registered so far.
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Privatization
Many countries facing high electricity demand growth favor privatizing their electric
power sectors and opening their markets to foreign firms. This approach can free up large
amounts of public capital, which can be used instead for social programs. In addition,
private ownership allows managerial accountability, market efficiency, and better
customer service while reducing government deficits and international debt. The reasons
for electric utility privatization are numerous and vary from country to country.
Some of the more evident reasons include the following:
Raising revenues for the state through asset sales
Acquiring investment capital
Improving managerial performance
Moving toward market-determined prices
Technology transfer
Reducing the frequency of power shortages
Reducing the cost of electricity to consumers through efficiency gain
Taking advantage of creating national and regional power grids, and
Re-thinking whether electric power generation in today's economy constitutes a
natural monopoly.
Privatization of formerly state-owned electric power assets in developing countries has
opened up enormous investment opportunities. For foreign investors, investment in
overseas electricity assets offers opportunities to achieve potentially higher returns and,
in many cases, helps to realize greater growth opportunities than are available at home.
In 1991, the Government began to encourage private sector participation in the power
industry. Since this date, a total capacity of approximately 7,400 MW from 37 private
power plants has been commissioned. As of March 31, 2006 an additional capacity of
around 4,500 MW from 12 projects is reported to be under construction. Orissa was the
first state in the country to privatize the state's electricity distribution. This was followed
by the privatization of Delhi Vidyut Board. Various other states including Uttar Pradesh,
Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan have
restructured their boards into separate entities for generation, transmission and
distribution. Some states are also attempting to corporatize the former SEB entities.
Reliance Energy Limited and Tata Power Limited dominate the private sector.
Jagan Institute of Management Studies, New Delhi.
13
Tata Power, with a generation capacity of 2278 MW. Tata Power recently
bagged 4000 MW UMPP contract.
Reliance Energy has a 933 MW of generation capacity.
GMR Infrastructure Limited with a combined generation capacity of 420 MW
and an additional 389 MW plant to be commissioned in the near future is
another serious private sector participant.
14
Figures in MW
%age
74,453.76
52.5
47,520.99
34.0
19,525.09
13.5
State Sector
Central Sector
Private Sector
15
Total
1,41,499.84
Fuel
MW
%age
91,145.84
64.6
Coal
75,252.38
53.3
Gas
14,691.71
10.5
Oil
1,201.75
0.9
35,378.76
24.7
4,120.00
2.9
10,855.24
7.7
Total Thermal
Hydro (Renewable)
Nuclear
RES** (MNRE)
Total
1,41,499.84
Demand
Met
Surplus/
Deficit
671,915 MU
608,053 MU
-9.5 %
Energy
16
17
99
9
95
0
126
0
Generation
Distribution
550
0
Transmission
Rural Electrification
Source: Ministry of Power All figures in billion INR
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beneficiary of PFCs financial assistance. PFC has also been funding private sector
projects for last 5-6 years.
Mission
PFC's mission is to excel as a pivotal developmental financial institution in the power
sector committed to the integrated development of the power and associated sectors by
channeling the resources and providing financial, technological and managerial services
for ensuring the development of economic, reliable and efficient systems and institutions.
Received awards from Hon'ble President, Hon'ble Vice President & Hon'ble Prime
Minister for being in the top ten Public Sector Undertakings of Government of India
Credit Ratings
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Performance Highlights
*Consistently rated Excellent for its overall performance against the targets set in
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Government of India (GoI) since 1993-94.
*Nav-Ratna Public Sector Undertaking.
*Ranked among the top 10 PSUs for the last four years.
*Employee profit stands at Rs.3.9 crores per head.
A Development Financial Institution - has consistently maintained profitability in its
operations provides finances for projects/ schemes, has expertise in reform linked
studies/consultancy.
PFC has an authorized capital of Rs.20000 Million and paid-up capital of Rs.11477.70
Million (presently the entire equity is in owned by Government of India). PFC in its
present role has the following main objectives:
To rise the resources from international and domestic sources at the competitive rates
and terms and conditions and on-ward lend these funds on optimum basis to the
power projects in India.
To assist state power sector in carrying out reforms and to support the state power
sector during transitional period of reforms
Range of Services
20
Fund Based
21
Non-Fund Based
Guarantees
Exchange Risk Management
Consultancy Services
Clients of PFC:
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Institutional Development
Institutional Development of Power Utilities
Formulation and Implementation of Operational and Financial Action Plan (OFAP) for its
borrowers - to achieve qualitative improvement in the functioning of the State Power
Utilities in managerial, technical and financial areas through: Participative approach in formulation of OFAPs - prepared in consultation and
agreement with the Utility and State Government concerned.
Organizing seminars, workshops and training for Power Sector personnel - in
India and abroad.
Studies and Consultancy Services
Reform Group constituted in PFC to advice and assists the State Govt. /Power
Utilities to formulate suitable restructuring programmes.
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Capacity (MW)
Cost (Crs)
Malwa TPS
Yamuna Nagar TPS
Tenughat
Extn.
Stage II
Khaperkheda TPS
Extn.
Kameng HEP
Birsinghpur TPS
Mejia Extn. Unit
Sagardighi TPS PH1
Chandrapura Extn.
Unit 7&8
Panipat TPS Stage
V
Parichha TPS Units
3&4
Revival of PP&
LNG
work
of
Dhabol Power Co.
Tehri Dam HEP
Stage1
Nathpa Jhakri HEP
2x500
2x300
3x210
4054
2400
2366
Amount Funded by
PFC (Crs)
2730
1920
1892
1x500
2191
1753
4x150
1x500
2x250
2x300
2x250
2485
1950
280
2754
2053
1740
2x250
1785
1428
2x210
1755
1404
2150
10038
1400
4x250
8000
2560
6x250
8328
1438
1456
1925
1435
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Financial Position
Financial Highlights for the year 2007-08 (Audited)
Profit After Tax
Sanctions
Disbursements
Net Interest Margin
Resource Mobilization
Net Worth
Realization
25
Recent Initiatives:
26
Accomplishments:
Future Plans:
27
SWOT Analysis:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Poor asset quality with most of the lending to SEBs, whose loan repayment
capabilities in the long run is doubtful.
Concentration risk attributed to lending in single sector.
Opportunities
Threats
PFC has significant exposures entities which are loss making, financially weak
and are defaulting to most of their creditors. Delinquencies by these entities to
PFC could impair the currently sound Balance Sheet of PFC.
28
Under the Tenth Five-year Plan, REC has been allowed to disburse funds through
AG & SP. Since this scheme gave a price advantage to PFC, its competitive edge
is diluted.
With increasing exposure to SEBs, their weak balance sheet may affect PFCs
creditworthiness.
Currently, borrowers of PFC are unable to attract other sources of funding. If the
reform programme is successful, and these entities become creditworthy, PFCs
ability to lend against quality assets would be weakened.
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30
31
32
Interest Payments.
Funding Sources:
PFC generally fund their assets, comprising loans to the power sector, with borrowings of
various maturities in the international and domestic markets. Their market borrowings
include bonds, short term loans, medium term loans, long term loans, and commercial
papers.
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Sources of Funds
Debt
International
Domestic
Long Term to
Medium Term
Taxable & Non
Taxable Bonds
Equity
Short Term
Commercial
Paper
FCNR (B)
Loan
Loans
ICD
Fixed
Rate
ECB
Multilateral
Loans
ECAs
MIBOR
Linked
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b. Long term Debt Instruments: These are the instruments having a maturity
exceeding one year. The main instruments are Government of India securities
(GOISEC), State Government securities (state loans), Public Sector bonds (PSU
bonds), corporate debentures, etc.
Most of these are coupon bearing instruments i.e. interest payments (called
coupon) are payable at pre specified dates called coupon dates. At any given
point of time, any such instrument has a certain amount of accrued with it i.e.
interest which has accrued (but is not yet due) calculated at the coupon rate
from the date of the last coupon payment. E.g. if 30 days have elapsed from the
last coupon payment of a 14% coupon debenture with a face value of Rs.100, the
accrued interest will be
100*0.14*30/365 =1.15
Whenever coupon-bearing securities are traded, by convention, they are traded at
a base price with the accrued interest separate. In other words, the total price
would be equal to the summation of the base price and the accrued interest.
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Types of Instruments used for raising funds by PFC in the Domestic Market
I. Bonds - Bonds are a form of indebtedness that is sold in set increments. In return for
loaning the debtor the money, the lender gets a piece of paper that stipulates how much
was lent, the agreed-upon interest rate, how often interest will be paid, and the term of
the loan.
Features of bonds
1. Nominal, principal or face amount: The amount over which the issuer pays
interest, and which has to be repaid at the end.
2. Issue price: The price at which investors buy the bonds when they are first
issued, typically Rs.1 million (specifically for PFC). The net proceeds that the
issuer receives are calculated as the issue price, less issuance fees, times the
nominal amount.
3. Maturity date: The date on which the issuer has to repay the nominal amount. As
long as all payments have been made, the issuer has no more obligations to the
bond holders after the maturity date. The length of time until the maturity date is
often referred to as the term or maturity of a bond.
i. short term (bills): maturities up to one year;
ii. medium term (notes): maturities between one and ten years;
iii.
Long term (bonds): maturities greater than ten years.
4. Coupon: The interest rate that the issuer pays to the bond holders. Usually this
rate is fixed throughout the life of the bond. It can also vary with a money market
index, such as MIBOR or LIBOR, or it can be even more exotic.
5. Optionality: A bond may contain an embedded option; that is, it grants option
like features to the buyer or issuer:
i. Callability: Some bonds give the issuer the right to repay the bond before
the maturity date on the call dates. These bonds are referred to as callable
bonds.
ii. Puttability: Some bonds give the bond holder the right to force the issuer
to repay the bond before the maturity date on the put dates.
6. Liquidity: A bond is a highly liquid instrument which is freely tradable in the
market. A large number of investor categories such as bank treasuries, mutual
funds, insurance companies and funds like pension fund and provident funds
prefer this instrument because of its assured returns and suitable maturities for
each investor category.
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III. Loans
A bank loan to a company, with a fixed maturity and often featuring amortization of
principal. If this loan is in the form of a line of credit, the funds are drawn down shortly
after the agreement is signed. Otherwise, the borrower usually uses the funds from the
loan soon after they become available.
A fixed-rate term loan offers an unchanging interest rate for the life of the loan, making it
easy to budget, with the same predictable payments over the life of the loan.
Secure, fixed interest for the life of the loan borrowed what you need with a predictable
monthly payment. Fixed-rate loans offer an unchanging interest rate for the life the loan,
making it easy to budget with the same, predictable payments over the entire term.
i. Simplify budgeting with predictable payments
ii. Lock in interest rates with fixed interest over the life of the loan
iii.
Stabilize your business finances
Short-term
Short-term loans can have maturations of as little as 90-120 days or as long as one to
three years, depending on the purpose of the loan. In general, banks require very
specific repayment plans for their short-term loans. For instance, if you took out a
loan to even out your cash flow until your customers paid you, the lender would
expect you to repay the loan as soon as you receive your money. In the case of shortterm loans for inventory purposes, you would pay off your debt when you sell your
inventory. Before a lender will grant a short-term loan, it will review your cash-flow
history and payment track record. Most short-term loans are unsecured, meaning they
do not require collateral. Rather, the bank relies on your personal credit history and
credit score for approval.
Medium-term
Medium term loans have maturity of less than three years; these loans are generally
repaid in monthly installments (sometimes with balloon payments) from a business's
cash flow. There repayment is often tied directly to the useful life of the asset being
financed.
Long Term
Long term loans are commonly set for more than three years. Most are between three
and 10 years, and some run for as long as 20 years. Long-term loans are collateralized
by a business's assets and typically require quarterly or monthly payments derived
from profits or cash flow. These loans usually carry wording that limits the amount of
additional financial commitments the business may take on (including other debts but
also dividends or principals' salaries), and they sometimes require that a certain
amount of profit be set-aside to repay the loan.
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Private placement accounts for little over one third of the debt issuance. Unofficial
estimates indicate that about 90 per cent of the private corporate sector debt has been
raised through private placement in the recent past. The amount raised through private
placement has been continuously rising for the past five years which increased by more
than 300 per cent over the five year period. The growth rate in the public issue processes
is only about 80 per cent over the period, increasing from Rs. 20896 crore to Rs. 36466
crore. The listed corporate bonds also trade on the Wholesale Debt Segment of NSE. But
the percentage of the bonds trading on the exchange is small. The secondary market for
corporate bonds till now has been over the counter market. With the recent guidelines
issued by SEBI the scenario is expected to change.
The development of a corporate bond market in India has lagged behind in comparison
with other financial market segments owing to many structural factors. While primary
issuances have been significant, most of these were accounted for by public sector
financial institutions and were issued on a private placement basis to institutional
investors. The secondary market, therefore, has not developed commensurately and
market liquidity has been an issue. The Government had constituted a High Level
Committee on Corporate Bonds and Securitization (Patil Committee) to identify the
factors inhibiting the development of an active corporate debt market in India and
recommend necessary policy actions. The Committee made a number of
recommendations relating to rationalizing the primary issuance procedure, facilitating
exchange trading, increasing the disclosure and transparency standards and strengthening
the clearing and settlement mechanism in secondary market. The recommendations have
been accepted in principle by the Government, the Reserve Bank and SEBI and are under
various stages of implementation. The two stock exchanges, namely, the Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE), as well as the industry body
FIMMDA have since operationalized respective trade reporting platforms. While all the
exchange trades in corporate bonds get captured by concerned exchanges reporting
platform, OTC transactions can be reported on any of these platforms. The aggregated
trade information across the platforms is being disseminated by FIMMDA on its website.
BSE and NSE have also started order driven trading platforms in July 2007. In practice,
however, trading still continues to be largely OTC. SEBI has also implemented measures
to streamline the activity in corporate bond markets by reducing the shut period in line
with that of G-sec, reducing the size of standard lots to Rs. one lakh and standardizing the
day count convention. Further, to streamline the process of interest and redemption
payments, Electronic Clearing Services (ECS), Real Time Gross Settlements (RTGS) or
National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) are required to be used by the issuers. Further
progress is anticipated in regard to rationalizing the primary issuance procedures, which
is a critical step for moving away from the pre-dominance of private placements. To
reduce the settlement risk and enhance efficiency, the Patil Committee has also proposed
setting up of a robust clearing mechanism. The settlement was proposed to be initially on
delivery versus payment (DvP) I basis (i.e., trade by trade basis) to address the
counterparty settlement risk and gradually migrate to DvP III (net settlement of funds as
well as securities) to impart enhanced settlement efficiency. (The DvP modules can be
broadly classified into three broad categories, viz., DvP I, DvP II and DvP III. Under DvP
I, the funds leg as well as the securities leg is settled simultaneously on a contract-bycontract basis. Under DvP II, while the securities leg is settled on a contract-by-contract
Jagan Institute of Management Studies, New Delhi.
40
basis, the funds leg is settled for the net amount. Under DvP III, both the funds and the
securities legs are settled for the net amounts.)
41
is longer. Hence Corporates prefer private placement as it is much cheaper and quicker.
Also, private placement of bonds bypasses the already loosely tied regulations and gives
Corporates one more reason not to buy public bonds.
There is an urgent need to introduce market makers as this will improve the liquidity and
bring in more variety of investors with different risk profiles. Another way forward could
be to allow the banks to distribute the debt products to the retail investors for a fee-based
income.
The way forward is to establish screen-based trading and a well defined and structured
clearing and settlement mechanism. The procedure for issuance of bonds in the primary
market needs to be rationalized in order to widen the investor base and move away from
the dominance of private placement deals. There is also a need to re-examine the stamp
duty structure for consistent application across the country.
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43
44
iv) Intermediaries
Two classes of intermediaries required for the proper development of debt market are
broker and investment banker/ merchant banker. Most of the brokers as well as merchant
bankers in India are inadequately capitalized and their professional knowledge also needs
further improvement. In some markets, it is observed that there are dedicated Debt
Managers who facilitate subscription or sometimes subscribe to the issue and later on
even facilitate trading in bonds. India needs a dedicated Bond Manager concept.
v) Investors
For the development of Corporate Debt Market / Fixed Income Securities Market, it is
necessary and sufficient to have a large as well as diverse number of sophisticated /
institutional investors. Figure lists some of the classes of investors that have been
investing in the debt market. Institutional Investors in India are few in number and the
variety also is limited. We have only 37 mutual funds, hardly five insurance companies
till recently and there are no pension funds. Banks and financial institutions, by and large,
do not take active interest in Corporate Debt Market. Investors with diverse expectations
are a precondition for the development of corporate debt market. Diversity could be in
terms of maturity needs as well as expectations on interest rates. The most important
structural weakness in India is lack of large and diverse institutional investors.
India has large number of retail investors; however, their expectations are quite contrary
to market principles - risk and return. Most investors think and perceive that investments
in bonds should provide them guarantee, repayment of principal and regular payment of
coupons. Any delay/default causes worries in their minds. And sometimes these investors
complain to regulators or to the government for non receipt of coupons or non-repayment
of principal. This type of behavior implies lack of understanding of the principles of the
capital market on the part of the investors.
vi) Rating agencies
India has a well developed Credit Rating Agency system and rating agencies are well
experienced and regarded. By and large, their ratings do carry confidence in the market.
2) Some of the Structural Weaknesses identified in the Primary Market are:
(i) Lack of large and diverse investors
(ii) Lack of dedicated intermediaries (Bond Manager)
(iii) Heavy tilt towards private placement
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Negotiated Market:
In the negotiated market, the trades are normally decided by the seller and the buyer, and
reported to the exchange through the broker. Thus, deals negotiated or structured outside
the exchange are disclosed to the market through NEAT-WDM system. In negotiated
market, as buyers and sellers know each other and have agreed to trade, no counter-party
exposure limit needs to be invoked.
46
47
Issuer
Instruments
Central Government
State Governments
Public
Bonds
Private
Bonds
Sector Corporates
Banks
Financial Institutions
48
The Fixed Income securities market was the earliest of all the securities markets in the
world and has been the forerunner in the emergence of the financial markets as the engine
of economic growth across the globe. The Fixed Income Securities Market, also known
as the Debt Market or Bond Market, is easily the largest of all the financial markets in the
world today. The Debt Markets have a very prominent role to play in the efficient
functioning of the world financial system and in catalyzing the economic growth of
nations across the globe.
49
According to many studies, governments are the largest issuer of bonds worldwide.
Government bonds, also known as 'sovereign debts', play an important role in enhancing
the liquidity of a bond market. These are the backbones of healthy domestic debt markets.
From a macroeconomic perspective, government bonds enhance stability in an economy
by acting as one of the sources for funding budget deficit. Market-oriented funding of
budget deficit reduces debt-service costs. A government bond market also facilitates the
implementation of monetary policy. Development of a deep and liquid government bond
market helps in ironing out the friction caused by financial shocks. Such a market,
coupled with sound debt management, can help governments reduce exposure to
currency, interest rate and other financial risks
50
growth in different countries. Financing expansionary fiscal policies, the need for recapitalizing the banking system and a lack of bank credit have been the major drivers to
the growth of domestic bond markets in the Asian region. Whereas, the increased
participation of domestic institutional investors and corporate sector's refinancing needs
have been the main drivers to bond market growth in the Latin American region. In the
EU region, the harmonization of regulations for the accession to the EU, has been the
primary driver for growth.
Eurobond Markets
Loans arranged through a syndicate of banks of international repute and placed in the
countries not corresponding to the currency of issue are called Eurobonds. The history of
Eurobonds dates back to the early 1960s, when Eurodollar bonds (USD bonds issued
outside US) dominated the Eurobond market. The first Eurobond was issued in 1957.
Presently, Eurobonds are denominated in almost all the major currencies. Today, the
Eurobond markets are well developed and more sophisticated than they were at their
inception.
Straight bonds: These are the fixed income bonds with specific interest
payments on specified dates over a specified period of years. Straight bonds are
also known as debentures. These are the basic fixed income bonds, where the
owner receives a predetermined interest amount from the issuer at regular
Jagan Institute of Management Studies, New Delhi.
51
52
Catastrophe bonds: These are insurance linked debt instruments used to raise
money in case of a catastrophe. The catastrophe could be an earthquake or
hurricane of sufficient magnitude and within a particular region. Usually,
insurance or a reinsurance company is the issuer of a catastrophe bond. The
special condition linked with such a bond is that, if the issuer suffers a loss from a
catastrophe, then the investor is obligated to either defer or completely forgo the
principal and/or interest payable by the issuer.
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Corporate Bond
A debt security issued by a corporation and sold to investors. The backing for the bond is
usually the payment ability of the company, which is typically money to be earned from
future operations. In some cases, the company's physical assets may be used as collateral
for bonds.
Corporate bonds are issued by private and public corporations. Companies issue
corporate bonds to raise money for a variety of purposes, such as building a new plant,
purchasing equipment, or growing the business. When one buys a corporate bond, one
lends money to the "issuer," the company that issued the bond. In exchange, the company
promises to return the money, also known as "principal," on a specified maturity date.
Until that date, the company usually pays you a stated rate of interest, generally
semiannually. While a corporate bond gives an IOU from the company, it does not have
an ownership interest in the issuing company, unlike when one purchases the company's
equity stock.
Corporate bonds are considered higher risk than government bonds. As a result, interest
rates are almost always higher, even for top-flight credit quality companies.
Corporate bonds are issued in blocks of $1,000 in par value, and almost all have a
standard coupon payment structure. Corporate bonds may also have call provisions to
allow for early prepayment if prevailing rates change.
Corporate bonds, i.e. debt financing, are a major source of capital for many businesses
along with equity and bank loans/lines of credit. Generally speaking, a company needs to
have some consistent earnings potential to be able to offer debt securities to the public at
a favorable coupon rate. The higher a company's perceived credit quality, the easier it
becomes to issue debt at low rates and issue higher amounts of debt.
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An exchangeable bond differs only in that the bond is exchangeable for shares in a
company other than the issuing company. Invariably the issuer is committed to paying a
periodic coupon on the bond and repaying the principal at maturity, as for any other bond.
However, the holder may elect to have the bond converted/exchanged into a fixed
number of shares. Convertibles and exchangeables combine the characteristics of straight
bonds and equity derivatives. Holders will accept the lower coupon rate paid on
convertibles and exchangeables because of the potential profit if the stock price increases,
whilst issuers potentially give up some equity in exchange for a lower funding cost.
Alternatively, they may be viewed as stock substitutes. The bond allows the holder to
acquire the stock for a set amount, but provides the protection of a fixed income
instrument should the stock price perform poorly. Also, the holder receives the coupon
instead of the stock dividend prior to conversion. Since the coupon is typically higher
than the dividend (although, as noted above, usually lower than the coupon on a straight
bond) this makes the convertible attractive to investors. If the stock price increases
quickly and the bonds are converted, the issuer will receive more for the shares than if
they had issued shares directly since the conversion price is invariably set at a premium
to the stock price at the time of issue. The conversion price is the amount of face value of
the bond which must be surrendered for each share received on conversion. For example,
if a 1,000 face value bond is convertible into 20 shares, the "conversion price" is 50 per
share.
Most convertible bonds have several additional features, a common one being a call
option permitting the issuer to redeem the bonds at a fixed price at some future, fixed
date if the shares reach a certain price, typically 130 or 140 per cent. of the initial
conversion price this option will effectively force all bondholders to effect their
conversion/ exchange (i.e. so as to receive the benefit of the stock price increase).
Equally common is a put feature, which allows the holder to choose to have the bonds
redeemed at a pre-determined price and time in the future the put price usually being at
a premium so that, on exercising this put, the bond will have paid a yield equivalent to a
straight bond by that issuer.
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Conversion Price
It is the price per share at which a convertible security, such as corporate bonds or
preferred shares, can be converted into common stock.
The conversion price is determined when the convertible security is issued and can be
found in the bond indenture (in the case of convertible bonds) or in the security
prospectus (in the case of convertible preferred shares). The conversion price is essential
in determining the number of shares to be received, by computing the quotient of the
principal value of the convertible security divided by the conversion price. Usually, the
conversion price is set at a significant amount higher than the current price of the
common stock, so as to make conversion desirable only if a company's common shares
experience a significant increase in value.
Plain vanilla convertible (e.g., five-year convertible, around 2-3% coupon, 2040% conversion premium callable after two years and puttable after three).
Exchangeable, issued by a different company to the underlying stock, very
common in Europe for divestment/privatisation.
Floating rate coupons.
Perpetual/deeply subordinated structures.
Mandatory convertibles/exchangeables.
Features
The features embedded in a convertible can greatly affect its valuation; some are
advantageous to the issuer while others are beneficial to the bondholders. Prospectuses
should be read carefully to fully understand all the bonds features.
Calls give the issuer the opportunity to redeem the bond, over a pre-specified
period and under pre-specified conditions.
Puts permit the bondholder to redeem the bond on pre-specified dates, usually at
issue price or accreted value.
Dividend protection: compensates bondholders for foregone stock dividends in
excess of set thresholds.
Takeover protection: compensates bondholders for loss of optionality/credit
deterioration in a change of control event.
Yields
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Yield is a critical concept in bond investing, because it is the tool used to measure the
return of one bond against another. It enables one to make informed decisions about
which bond to buy. In essence, yield is the rate of return on bond investment. However, it
is not fixed, like a bonds stated interest rate. It changes to reflect the price movements in
a bond caused by fluctuating interest rates. The following example illustrates how yield
works.
You buy a bond, hold it for a year while interest rates are rising and then sell it.
You receive a lower price for the bond than you paid for it because, no one would
otherwise accept your bonds now lower-than-market interest rate.
Although the buyer will receive the same amount of interest as you did and will
also have the same amount of principal returned at maturity, the buyers yield, or
rate of return, will be higher than yours, because the buyer paid less for the bond.
Yield is commonly measured in two ways, current yield and yield to maturity.
Current yield
The current yield is the annual return on the amount paid for a bond, regardless of
its maturity. If you buy a bond at par, the current yield equals its stated interest
rate. Thus, the current yield on a par-value bond paying 6% is 6%.
However, if the market price of the bond is more or less than par, the current yield
will be different. For example, if you buy a Rs. 1,000 bond with a 6% stated
interest rate at Rs. 900, your current yield would be 6.67% (Rs. 1,000 x .
06/Rs.900).
Yield to maturity
It tells the total return you will receive if you hold a bond until maturity. It also enables
you to compare bonds with different maturities and coupons. Yield to maturity includes
all your interest plus any capital gain you will realize (if you purchase the bond below
par) or minus any capital loss you will suffer (if you purchase the bond above par).
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bonds and interest ratesthat is, the fact that bonds are worth less when interest rates rise
and vice versa can be explained as follows:
When interest rates rise, new issues come to market with higher yields than older
securities, making those older ones worth less. Hence, their prices go down.
When interest rates decline, new bond issues come to market with lower yields
than older securities, making those older, higher-yielding ones worth more.
Hence, their prices go up.
As a result, if one sells a bond before maturity, it may be worth more or less than
it was paid for.
Reduced cost of capital versus straight equity or straight debt: Convertible bonds,
however, enable the company to either sell (deferred) equity at a considerable
premium if the holders convert or issue straight debt with a significantly reduced
coupon/yield if the bonds are redeemed. Whether the bonds are converted or
redeemed depends largely on the realized stock growth rate.
Valuation/pricing: The market forces of supply and demand both from investors
and from banks that are competing for the deals mean that convertible bonds
may be priced on very favorable terms to the company.
Market opportunity/timing: Companies may take advantage of a sharp rise in their
equity to opportunistically issue a convertible on favorable terms to the issuer
when their stock is attracting positive sentiment.
New/broader investor groups: Convertible bonds attract additional investor
groups, such as hedge funds, outright convertible funds and institutional trading
desks.
Capital structure/reporting benefits: As hybrid products, convertibles may be
accounted for in various ways depending on accounting rules and on its terms and
features.
Tax advantages: Depending upon the jurisdiction of the holder and issuer,
Convertibles may have the effect of reducing or deferring tax liabilities
Adjustment events
Where the issuer of the bonds makes adjustments that may affect the right to convert or
exchange into the underlying shares, typically as a result of some kind of dilution event
(rights issue, capital distribution etc), it is imperative to the investor that the value of the
conversion/exchange right is properly preserved. This is dealt with in different ways
under convertible bonds and exchangeable bonds, primarily because an issuer of
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convertible bonds is also the issuer of the underlying shares (and therefore controls those
shares) whereas an issuer of exchangeable bonds will typically have little or (more likely)
no control over the issuer of the underlying shares.
Dilution events
These may be split into distributions to shareholders (subdivisions, consolidations, rights
issues and distributions of assets other than shares) and distributions to others (issues of
securities convertible into or exchanged for shares, other issues of shares and issues of
warrants to obtain shares/ securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares).
1. Subdivision or consolidation
If an issuer decides to carry out a one for five share split then each share will represent a
smaller proportion of the aggregate assets of the issuer and accordingly its value will
decrease. In such circumstances the number of shares the bondholder receives must be
adjusted in order to cater for this decrease proportionately. For example, if the conversion
price is 10 per share and the market value of each share is 15, the conversion right is
"in the money". However, if the issuer carries out the one for five split then the market
price of each share will fall to 3 and the value of the conversion right would be
eliminated. In such circumstances, the terms of the issue will provide for an increase in
the proportionate number of shares the bondholder receives on conversion
proportionately (i.e. the conversion price becomes 2 (the original 10 conversion price
divided by 5).
The date on which the necessary adjustment takes place will be the date giving rise to the
adjustment or, if earlier, the record date for determining which shares and shareholders
are to participate in the event. This is to protect bondholders who have converted before
the event. For example, if an issuer resolves to carry out a share split on 1 July of each
share held by each person on the Register of Members on 1 June; the bondholder
exercises its right to convert on 2 June. Since the record date (1 June) is the date for
adjustment, the bondholder, despite converting on 2 June, will receive the benefit from
the adjustment to the conversion price.
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2. Rights issue
Dilution will only occur if the subscription price is below the then market price. If the
market value or indeed a premium is paid for the new shares then the increased number
of shares is matched by an increase in net asset value and as such there is no dilution.
However, if the subscription price is below the market value, the bondholders will seek
protection from the dilution. It is not unusual for there to be a 95 per cent of market value
threshold if the rights issue subscription price is below 95 per cent of the market value
of the shares (market value usually being a 5 day average of the share price immediately
prior to the announcement of the rights issue) then the conversion price is adjusted
(otherwise, not).
For example, a company has 100,000 shares in issue and the net asset value of the
company is 1,000,000. Each share is therefore worth (1,000,000 divided by 100,000) =
10. Following a rights issue a further 100,000 shares are subscribed for at 5.00. Each
share is now worth (1,500,000 divided by 200,000) = 7.50.
As a result an adjustment to the conversion price (in the shape of an adjustment formula)
will be built in to the terms and conditions of the bonds to compensate the bondholders.
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The definition is cast in differing ways but will typically include any dividend which is
declared to be a capital distribution or extraordinary or special dividend or distribution or
similar whether of cash, shares or property. It also includes any cash dividend subject to
certain thresholds, under which such dividend could not be considered to be of a capital
value. In a recent deal, these thresholds were set at (i) an amount equal to cumulative net
profits less cumulative net losses attributable to members of the company, taking into
account distributions already paid that financial year, or (ii) if the relevant distribution
exceeds the amount calculated under (i), an amount equal to the higher of (a) twice the
cash or other dividend for the relevant shares in the previous financial period and (b) 5
per cent of the market value of the shares.
Sensitivities
Being a hybrid structure (i.e. a combination of bond and equity features) a convertible
bond is sensitive to a range of variables:
Delta: equity sensitivity = change in value of the convertible bond per unit change
in parity.
Gamma: equity sensitivity of delta = change in value of the convertible bond delta
per unit change in parity.
Vega: volatility sensitivity = change in value of the convertible bond per unit
change in volatility.
Rho: interest rate sensitivity = change in value of the convertible bond per unit
change in the risk-free yield curve.
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Almost all convertible bonds are callable, meaning the corporation can redeem the
bonds at its discretion. You get the face value back, but may have to reinvest the
money in a less attractive investment.
The stock price has to hit a certain number before you can convert. This number
may be quite high. This is the conversion premium. If you want to own the stock,
you are better off buying it at the lower current price rather than waiting for it to
hit this premium.
You receive a lower interest rate on the bond and if the stock declines, the bond
price drops. In the worst of all worlds, interest rates rise and the stock falls.
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There are a number of legal issues which need to be considered in relation to the
underlying shares in convertibles. The main concerns relate to the fact that the issuer will
need to allot and issue shares on exercise of the conversion right by the bondholder.
There are four main issues to consider:
1. Does the issuer have sufficient authorized share capital so that on conversion of the
bonds into shares there are sufficient shares available for issue? If this is not the case, the
authorized share capital will need to be increased and this would be done by ordinary
resolution under Section 94 of the Companies Act 1956 prior to the issue of the bonds,
assuming the articles do not prohibit an increase in share capital.
2. The issuer's directors will need authority to allot the shares under the Articles of
Association. Under Section 80 of the Companies Act, a company may not allot "relevant
securities" unless authorized to do so by its Articles of Association or by the company in
general meeting. The definition of relevant securities includes any rights to convert any
security into shares of the company. Accordingly if the issuer does not have the power
under its Articles of Association for the directors to allot the shares, an ordinary
resolution will need to be passed in general meeting to enable them to do so.
3. It will be necessary to check whether there are any pre-emption rights for existing
shareholders. Section 89 of the Companies Act requires that where a company proposes
to issue "equity securities" for cash, the securities must be offered first to its equity
shareholders on a pre-emptive basis. The definition of equity securities includes securities
that have the right to convert into a company's ordinary shares. Section 89 may have been
disapplied in the Articles of Association. However, if the pre-emption rights have not
been disapplied prior to the bonds being offered for subscription, the company will need
to pass a special resolution at its general meeting. Alternatively, it may opt to offer the
bonds first to its existing shareholders.
4. There is the question of valuation of the consideration for the shares. A company is
prohibited from allotting shares otherwise than for cash except where the consideration
has been independently valued. In relation to a convertible bond, new shares are issued in
consideration for the cancellation of the debt represented by the bond. The Companies
Act specifically provides that a company will be deemed to have allotted shares for cash
where the consideration for allotment is a release of a liability for a liquidated sum.
Therefore no independent valuation is required.
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Premium amount on conversion, time of conversion, in stages, if any, shall be predetermined and stated in the offer document.
The interest rate for debentures can be freely determined by the issuer company.
Issue of debentures / bonds with maturity of 18 months or less are exempt from
the requirement of appointment of Trustee.
Where the debentures / bonds are unsecured, the issuing DFI (Designated
Financial Institution), incorporated as companies, shall ensure compliance with
the provisions of the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits) Rules, 1975, as
unsecured debentures / bonds are treated as "deposits" for purposes of these rules.
The names of the debenture trustees shall be stated in the Offer Documents and
also in all the subsequent periodical communications sent to the debenture
holders.
A trust deed shall be executed by the issuer company in favor of the debenture
trustees within three months of the closure of the issue.
Trustees to the debenture issue shall be vested with the requisite powers for
protecting the interest of debenture holders including a right to appoint a nominee
director on the Board of the company in consultation with institutional debenture
holders.
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Any conversion in part or whole of the debentures shall be optional at the hands
of the debenture holder, if the conversion takes place after 18 months from the
date of allotment.
The interest rate for the debentures shall be freely determinable by the issuer DFI.
The letter of option regarding roll over shall be filed containing disclosure with
regard to the credit rating, bond / debenture holder resolution, option for
conversion and such other terms which the Board may stipulate from time to time.
Where credit ratings are obtained from more than two credit rating agencies, all
the credit rating/s, including the unaccepted credit ratings, shall be disclosed.
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Issue proceeds shall be kept in an escrow account until the documents for
creation of security as stated in the offer document, are executed.
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Provided that, where no charge is to be created on such debentures, the issuer company
shall ensure compliance with the provisions of the Companies (Acceptance of Deposits)
Rules, 1975, as unsecured debentures / bonds are treated as "deposits" for purposes of
these rules.
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The debenture trustee shall submit a certificate of compliance to the merchant banker
which shall be filed with the Board within 15 days of the closure of the rollover or
conversion.
Companies may issue unsecured/ subordinated debt instruments/ obligations (which are
not 'public deposits' as per the provisions of Section 58 A of the Companies Act, 1956 or
such other notifications, guidelines, Circular etc. issued by RBI, DCA or other
authorities).
Provided that such issue shall be subscribed by Qualified Institutional Buyers or other
investor who has given positive consent for subscribing to such unsecured / sub-ordinated
debt instruments/ obligation.
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The issue of shares on a preferential basis can be made at a price not less than the
higher of the following:
i) The average of the weekly high and low of the closing prices of the related shares
quoted on the stock exchange during the six months preceding the relevant date;
OR
ii) The average of the weekly high and low of the closing prices of the related shares
quoted on a stock exchange during the two weeks preceding the relevant date.
Explanation:
a) "relevant date" for the purpose of this clause means the date thirty days prior to the
date on which the meeting of general body of shareholders is held, in terms of Section
81(1A) of the Companies Act, 1956 to consider the proposed issue.
b) "Stock exchange" for the purpose of this clause means any of the recognized stock
exchanges in which the shares are listed and in which the highest trading volume in
respect of the shares of the company has been recorded during the preceding six months
prior to the relevant date.
(a) Where warrants are issued on a preferential basis with an option to apply for and be
allotted shares, the issuer company shall determine the price of the resultant shares in
accordance with Clause above.
(b) The relevant date for the above purpose may, at the option of the issuer be either the
one referred in explanation (a) to Clause above or a date 30 days prior to the date on
which the holder of the warrants becomes entitled to apply for the said shares.
The resolution to be passed in terms of Section 81(1A) shall clearly specify the
relevant date on the basis of which price of the resultant shares shall be
calculated.
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A listed company shall not make any preferential issue of equity shares, Fully
Convertible Debentures, Partly Convertible Debentures or any other instrument
which may be converted into or exchanged with equity shares at a latter date if the
same is not in compliance with the conditions for continuous listing.
Explanation:
(a) For the purpose of this clause total capital of the company shall mean (i) Equity share capital issued by way of public/ rights issue including equity shares
emerging at a later date out of any convertible securities/ exercise of warrants and
(ii) Equity shares or any other security convertible at a later date into equity issued on a
preferential basis in favor of promoter/ promoter groups.
(b) (i) For computation of 20% of the total capital of the company, the amount of
minimum promoters contribution held and locked-in, in the past as per guidelines shall
be taken into account.
(ii) The minimum promoters contribution shall not again be put under fresh lock-in,
even though it is considered for computing the requirement of 20% of the total capital of
the company, in case the said minimum promoters contribution is free of lock-in at the
time of the preferential issue.
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Eligibility norms
Any company making an initial public offer of equity share or any other security
convertible at a later date into equity shares and proposing to list them on the OTCEI, is
exempted from the eligibility norms specified in Clause 2.2 of Chapter II of these
guidelines subject to its fulfilling the following besides the listing criteria laid down by
the OTCEI:
i. It is sponsored by a member of the OTCEI and;
ii. Has appointed at least two market makers (one compulsory and one additional market
maker).
Any offer for sale of equity share or any other security convertible at a later date into
equity shares resulting out of a Bought out Deal (BOD) registered with the OTCEI is
exempted from the eligibility norms specified in Clause 2.2 of Chapter II of these
guidelines subject to the fulfillment of the listing criteria laid down by the OTCEI.
Provided that the issuer company which has made issue of capital under Clause above,
shall not delist its securities from OTCEI for a minimum period of three years from the
date of admission to dealing of such securities on OTCEI..
Pricing Norms
Any offer for sale of equity share or any other security convertible at a later date into
equity shares resulting out of a Bought out Deal (BOD) registered with OTCEI is
exempted from the pricing norms specified in Clause 3.2 of Chapter III of these
guidelines subject to the following conditions:
i) The promoters after such issue shall retain at least 20% of the total issued capital with
the lock-in of three years from the date of the allotment of securities in the proposed
issue; and
ii) At least two market makers (One Compulsory and one additional market maker) are
appointed in accordance with the Market Making guidelines stipulated by the OTCEI.
Projections
In case of securities proposed to be listed on OTCEI projections based on the appraisal
done by the sponsor who undertakes to do market making activity in the securities
offered in the proposed issue can be included in the offer document subject to compliance
with other conditions contained in the said clause.
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The dissenting debenture holders shall have the right to continue as debenture holders if
the terms of conversions are not acceptable to them.
iii) Where issue of PCDs and FCDs is made pursuant to the consent given by the
Controller of Capital Issues and the consent specifies the timing of conversion but the
price of conversion of PCDs / FCDs is to be determined at a later date, the following shall
be complied with:a) The consent of the shareholders is to be obtained only for the purposes of fixing the
price of conversion and not for the preponing and postponing the timing of the
conversion approved by CCI.
b) The conversion price shall be reasonable (in comparison with previous conversion
price where the terms of the issue provide for more than one conversion) and the
conversion price shall not exceed the face value of that part of the convertible debenture
which is sought to be converted.
c) In cases where an option is to be given to the debenture holders and, if any debenture
holder does not exercise the option to convert the debentures into equity at a price
determined in the general meeting of the shareholders, the company shall redeem that
part of debenture at a price which shall not be less than its face value within one month
from the last date by which option is to be exercised.
d) The provision in sub-clause (c) above shall not be applicable in case such redemption
is to be made in accordance with the original terms of the offer.
In cases of issues of debentures fully or partly convertible, irrespective of value made in
the past, where conversion was to be made at a price to be determined by CCI and the
consent order does not provide for a specific premium or a cap price for conversion, the
draft letter of option to the debenture holders filed with the Board shall contain
justification for the conversion price.
In case of a debenture issue, the issuer company shall also give undertakings to the
following effect in the prospectus:
(i) That the issuer company shall forward the details of utilization of the funds raised
through the debentures duly certified by the statutory auditors of the issuer company, to
the debenture trustees at the end of each half-year.
(ii) That the issuer company shall disclose the complete name and address of the
debenture trustee in the annual report.
(iii) That the issuer company shall provide a compliance certificate to the debenture
holders (on yearly basis) in respect of compliance with the terms and conditions of issue
of debentures as contained in the prospectus, duly certified by the debenture trustee.
(iv) That the issuer company shall furnish a confirmation certificate that the security
created by the company in favor of the debenture holders is properly maintained and is
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adequate enough to meet the payment obligations towards the debenture holders in the
event of default.
(v) That necessary cooperation with the credit rating agency (ies) shall be extended in
providing true and adequate information till the debt obligations in respect of the
instrument are outstanding.
SEBI/MRD/SE/AT/36/2003/30/09
Any listed company making issue of debt securities on a Private Placement basis and
listed on a stock exchange shall be required to comply with the following:1.1.
The company shall make full disclosures (initial and continuing) in the
manner prescribed in Schedule II of the Companies Act, 1956, SEBI
(Disclosure and Investor Protection) Guidelines, 2000 and the Listing
Agreement with the exchanges. However, if the privately placed debt
securities are in standard denomination of Rs.10 Lakhs, such disclosures
may be made only through web sites of the stock exchange where the debt
securities are sought to be listed.
1.2.
The debt securities shall carry a credit rating of not less than investment
grade from a Credit Rating Agency registered with the Board.
1.3.
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1.4.
1.5.
The company shall sign a separate listing agreement with the exchange in
respect of debt securities and comply with the conditions of listing.
1.6.
All trades with the exception of spot transactions, in a listed debt security,
shall be executed only on the trading platform of a stock exchange.
1.7.
The trading in privately placed debts shall only take place between Qualified
Institutional Investors (QIBs) and High Net worth Individuals (HNIs), in
standard denomination of Rs.10 Lakhs.
1.8.
1.9.
SEBI/MRD/SE/AT/46/2003
The SEBI circular is applicable to all debt securities that have been and would be issued
on a private placement basis on or after the date of the circular, i.e., September 30, 2003.
The SEBI circular would not be applicable for private placement of debt securities having
a maturity of less than 365 days.
Issuer companies shall make full disclosures (initial and continuing) in the manner
prescribed in Schedule II of the Companies Act, 1956, Chapter VI of the SEBI (DIP)
Guidelines, 2000 and the listing agreement with the stock exchanges.
Such disclosures may be made through the web site of the stock exchanges where the
debt securities are sought to be listed if the privately placed debt securities are issued in
the standard denomination of Rs. 10 Lakhs.
As regards financial disclosures, issuer companies which are not in a position, for
genuine reasons, to disclose audited accounts up to a date not earlier than six months of
the date of the offer document, may disclose the audited accounts for the last financial
year and un-audited accounts for the subsequent quarters with a limited review by a
practicing Chartered Accountant.
It is also being clarified that the provisions other than Chapter VI of SEBI (DIP)
Guidelines, 2000 will not be applicable for privately placed debt securities.
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Since engaging the services of an intermediary (other than debenture trustee) is not
mandatory, the appointment of such an intermediary would be left to the discretion of the
issuer company, as it deems fit.
Vetting of offer document
There is no requirement of vetting of the offer document by SEBI.
Whether the requirement of 1% deposit with the stock exchange/s is mandatory
There is no requirement to deposit 1% of the issue size of the privately placed debt
securities with the stock exchanges.
Applicability of minimum subscription clause as per DIP guidelines
This clause will not be applicable for privately placed debt securities.
Denomination for issuance and market lot for trading
The privately placed debt securities need not necessarily be issued in denomination of Rs.
10 Lakhs.
The securities shall be issued in demat form.
However, if an investor is allotted securities of Rs.1 Lakh or less, such securities may be
issued in physical form at the option of the investor. It shall be disclosed by the issuer
companies that such investors would not be able to trade in such securities through the
stock exchange mechanism.
SEBI/CFD/DIL/CIR- 39 /2004/11/01
Model Listing Agreement for listing of Debt Securities
SEBI, vide its circulars dated 30th September 2003 and 22nd December 2003,
stipulated the conditions to be complied with, in respect of privately placed debt
securities. One of the conditions specified therein requires that an entity desirous
of listing privately placed debt securities shall enter into a separate Listing
Agreement with the Stock Exchanges.
It has now been decided that listing of all debt securities irrespective of the mode
of issuance i.e. whether issued on private placement basis or through public/rights
issue, shall be done through a separate Listing Agreement. In this regard, the
Stock Exchanges are advised to henceforth list all debt securities through an
Agreement prepared in line with the Model Listing Agreement.
The Model Agreement has three parts. Part (I) contains clauses which shall be
complied by all issuers irrespective of mode of issuance, Part (II) contains clauses
which shall be complied with only if the debentures are issued either through
public or rights issue and part (III) contains clauses which are required to be
complied with only if the debentures are issued on private placement basis.
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SEBI/CFD/DIL/LA/1/2007/20/03
i. Submission of unaudited half-yearly results subject to a limited review (instead of halfyearly audited results) has been permitted. The results shall be submitted to the exchange
within one month from the end of the half-year and a copy of the limited review report
shall be submitted within two months from the end of the half yearly period.
ii. The limited review shall be done by the statutory auditors of the company (or in case
of public sector undertakings, by any practicing Chartered Accountant) and report of the
limited review shall be prepared on the lines of the format now being included in the
Model Listing Agreement.
MRD/DoP/SE/Dep/Cir-36/04
Mandatory admission of debt instruments on both the Depositories
Please refer to SEBI circular No.D&CC/FITTC/CIR-13/2002 dated November 1,
2002 requiring, inter alia, that the issuer companies mandatorily admit their debt
instruments on both the depositories.
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SEBI/CBM/BOND/2/2007/13/04
Amendments to the listing agreement for debentures
In order to facilitate development of a vibrant market in corporate debt instruments,
it has been decided to further amend the listing agreement for debentures issued by
circular No. SEBI/ CFD/ DIL/ CIR- 39 /2004/ 11/ 01 dated November 1, 2004 and
further amended by circular No. SEBI/ CFD/ DIL/ LA/ 1/ 2007/20/03 dated March
20, 2007, as follows:
1. In clause 1.4, for sub-clause (c), the following sub-clause shall be substituted, namely:
The issuer agrees to ensure that services of ECS (Electronic Clearing Service),
Direct Credit, RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) or NEFT (National
Electronic Funds Transfer) are used for payment of interest and redemption
amounts as per applicable norms of the Reserve Bank of India. In cases where
such facilities are not available, the issuer agrees to issue all interest warrants
and cheques for redemption money simultaneously, which shall be payable at
par at such centers as may be agreed between the exchange and the issuer. Such
centers will be disclosed to the debenture-holders. The amounts shall be
collectible at par, with collection charges, if any, being borne by the issuer, in
any bank within India even in centers other than the agreed centers. The
warrants or cheques shall be dispatched so as to reach the debenture-holders on
or before the date fixed for payment of interest on debentures or redemption
money, as the case may be.
2 In clause 1.6, after sub-clause (g), the following sub-clause shall be inserted,
namely:
The issuer agrees that no material modification shall be made to the structure
of the debenture in terms of coupon, conversion, redemption, or otherwise
without prior approval of the stock exchanges where the bond is listed.
The stock exchange shall also ensure that such information relating to
modification or proposed modification is disseminated on the exchange
website.
Applicability
The trading platforms may be used for executing all trades in listed debt securities issued
by all institutions such as Banks, Public Sector Undertakings, Municipal Corporations,
bodies corporate and companies.
The prospectus for issue of debenture must contain the same particulars as are applicable
to a prospectus for issue of shares (Sec. 56 of the Companies Act). Where the prospectus
Jagan Institute of Management Studies, New Delhi.
78
states that an application has been made for permission for the debentures to be dealt in
any stock exchange, the company should secure such permission; otherwise the
provisions of Section 73 of the Companies Act would apply, as in the case of shares.
Allotment of shares/debentures without compliance of Section 73 would make the
allotment void.
Power to issue: Section 292 of the Companies Act vests in the Board the power to issue
debentures and the same can not be delegated. It has to be exercised by the Board by the
resolution passed at the meeting; the restrictions provided under Section 293 must be
noted while exercising the power provided under Section 292. Briefly stated, u/s 293
consent of the share holders by an ordinary resolution is required if it is proposed to sell,
lease or otherwise dispose of the whole or substantially the whole of the undertaking of
the company and also where the borrowings would exceed the aggregate of the paid up
capital of the company and its free reserves. Also, a general meeting is called to pass
necessary resolutions; if the issue would result in borrowings in excess of the limits fixed
by the Section 293(1)(d) of the Companies Act 1956, an ordinary resolution should be
passed; where the occasion demands issue to persons other than the existing members,
provisions of Section 81 should be complied and special resolution in terms of provisions
of the said section should be passed.
s
Prospectus: The provisions of Companies Act equally apply to issue of debentures and
therefore Public companies intending to issue debentures to the public must comply with
the various provisions of the Act, particularly Section 55 to 76; Section 2(36) of the Act
defines Prospectus to include debentures of a body corporate.
"Prospectus" means [any document described or issued as a prospectus and includes any]
notice, circular, advertisement or other document [inviting deposits from the public or]
inviting offers from the public for the subscription or purchase of any shares in, or
debentures of, a body corporate;
Allotment and issue of certificate of debentures: In this connection the requirements and
provisions of Section 75,132 and133 may be noted and complied with. The debenture
certificates are required to be sent within 3 months after the allotment; further the
certificate of charge given by the ROC must be endorsed on every certificate.
SEBI guidelines, Clarification iv, clarifies that FCDs/PCDs convertible within 18 months
are considered quasi-equity( Long term conversion after 18 months to raising deferred
equity) and therefore, they should be treated on par with equity. The promoters are
required to contribute to the equity to the extent of minimum specified percentage by way
of participation in FCDs/PCDs with the same conversion price as applicable to public. In
other words, the issue price for equity to be paid by the promoters shall be same as paid
by the debenture holders for equity on conversion.
If the debentures are to be issued with the option to convert them into shares, it should be
in accordance with Rule 3 of Public Companies(Terms of issue of debentures and raising
of loans with an option to convert such debentures or loans into shares) Rules, 1977.
79
80
Advantages
1. The company may be able to secure reduction of floatation costs. The placement fees are
generally considerably lower than the underwriters spread in a public issue.
2. Since there are no registration formalities with SEBI/ROC, etc. the decision to issue the
securities and receipt of funds is quicker, thus risk may be reduced.
3. In some cases, the companies making private placement do not wish to make public
certain key information.
4. While the issued terms may have to be standardized to be acceptable to a large number of
investors in the case of public issue, it is not so in the case of private placement.
Disadvantages
1. The cost of interest may be higher.
2. There will not be an established secondary market for it.
3. The financing institutions accommodating the private placement may drive a harder
bargain in terms of restrictions and protective covenants than the broader public market
may require.
4. It is always most difficult to go to the public market, the first time. The ground is not
cultivated to tap the public market.
5. The possibility of buying back the firms debt instrument at a discount in the open market
is foregone.
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crore. The promoters must bring their capital contribution in full, one day before opening
of the issue.
1.
2.
3.
4.
In the case of following types of companies private placement of promoters issue is not
allowed with unrelated investors (there is those who have sufficient intimate connection
between promoters/company and the investors in the categories of friends, relatives,
associated).
Issue by new companies.
Issue by new companies set up by existing companies with 5 years track record of
profitability.
Issue by existing private/closely held companies with 3 years track record of profitability.
Issue by existing listed companies.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
The Institutional investors while sanctioning private placement, examine the following
norms/criteria:
Debt-Equity ratio: It relates all external debts to owners recorded claims. It is determined
to measure the firms obligations to creditors in relation to funds invested by owners.
Current ratio: It indicates working capital (the surplus of current assets over current
liabilities).
Interest Cover: This should be two times based on the latest balance sheet.
Profit before tax.
Net worth: The minimum should be Rs. 1 crore; if it is a listed company the stock price
should be above par for previous six months prior to the issue.
Percentage of unsecured deposits/borrowings.
Dividend record: The Company should have paid dividend for 3 or minimum 2 preceding
years.
No carry forward loss.
Asset cover or security cover: Minimum 1.25 times asset cover is preferred to be
maintained.
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yearly audited results preferably in the format mandated. The issuer further agrees to file
the same with the exchange.
3.4 The Issuer agrees to send the following to its debenture holders:
(a) Notice of all meetings of the relevant debenture holders specifically stating that the
provisions for appointment of proxy as mentioned in section 176 of the Companies Act,
1956 shall be applicable for such meeting.
(b) A half-yearly communication, counter signed by debenture trustees containing inter
alia following information:
i) Credit rating,
ii) Asset-cover available,
iii) Status of security
iv) Debt-Equity ratio
v) Previous due date for the payment of interest/principal and whether the same has been
paid or not
vi) Next due date for the payment of interest/principal and whether the same would be
paid or not
In addition to that, the aforesaid information of this sub-clause shall be made available to
public through any one of the following ways:
i) Hosting in the website of the issuer, if it has any
ii) Filing in SEBI EDIFAR, as and when mandated by SEBI
3.5 The issuer notes that Corporate Governance requirements of this agreement are
recommendatory and may be implemented as per discretion of the issuer. It agrees to
disclose adoption of the same, if any, in the Annual Report or such other document.
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The Indian Stamp Act, 1899 As Amended By the Finance Act, 2006
Bonds, debentures or other securities issued on loans under Act 11 of 1879:(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, any local authority raising a loan
under the provisions of the Local Authorities Loan Act, 1879, or of any other law for the
time being in force, by the issue of bonds, debentures or other securities, shall, in respect
of such loan, be chargeable with a duty of 2[one per centum] on the total amount of the
bonds, debentures or other securities issued by it, and such bonds, debentures or other
securities need not be stamped and shall not be chargeable with any further duty on
renewal, consolidation, subdivision or otherwise.
(2) The provisions of sub-section (1) exempting certain bonds, debentures or other
securities from being stamped and from being chargeable with certain further duty shall
apply to the bonds, debentures or other securities of all outstanding loans of the kind
mentioned therein, and all such bonds, debentures or other securities shall be valid,
whether the same are stamped or not.
Provided that nothing herein contained shall exempt the local authority which has issued
such bonds, debentures or other securities from the duty chargeable in respect thereof
prior to the twenty-sixth day of March, 1897, when such duty has not already been paid
or remitted by order issued by the 3[Central Government].
(3) In the case of willful neglect to pay the duty required by this section, the local
authority shall be liable to forfeit to the Government a sum equal to ten per centum upon
the amount of duty payable, and a like penalty for every month after the first month
during which the neglect continues.
Duties by whom payable.-In the absence of an agreement to the contrary, the expense of
providing the proper stamp shall be borne in the case of Bonds (No. 15 in Articles of
Schedule I) by the person drawing, making or executing this instrument.
Description of the instrument
(As specified in Schedule 1 to the Indian Stamp
Act,1899)
Debenture (whether a mortgage debenture or not), being a
marketable security transferable-
Proper Stamp-Duty
Ten paise
Twenty paise
Thirty five paise
Seventy five paise
One rupee ten paise
One rupee fifty paise
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Where it exceeds Rs. 400 and does not exceed Rs. 500
Where it exceeds Rs. 500 and does not exceed Rs. 600
Where it exceeds Rs. 600 and does not exceed Rs. 700
Where it exceeds Rs. 700 and does not exceed Rs. 800
Where it exceeds Rs. 800 and does not exceed Rs. 900
Where it exceeds Rs. 900 and does not exceed Rs. 1000
And for every Rs. 500 or part thereof in excess of Rs. 1000
ExplanationThe term Debenture includes any interest coupons attached thereto but the
amount of such coupons shall not be included in estimating the duty.
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5. Interest Rate
The interest rate on debentures is freely determinable.
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(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
(i)
8. Conversion Optional
Where the conversion of debentures (in part or whole) is to take place at or after 18
months from the date of allotment but before 36 months, check that such conversion has
been made optional at the hands of the debenture holder.
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14. Monitoring
The lead institution/investment institution is required to monitor the progress in respect of
debentures for project finance/modernization/expansion/diversification/normal capital
expenditure. If debentures are for working capital funds, the lead bank should monitor.
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(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
In case of FCDs/PCDs issued in the past, pursuant to CCI consent, where the conversion
was to be made at a price to be determined by the CCI at a later stage, the price and the
timing of conversion should be determined at the general meeting of the share holders
subject to:
the consent of the FCDs/PCDs holders for the conversion terms being obtained
individually;
conversion is given effect to, only if the concerned debenture holders send their positive
consent and not on the basis of non-receipt of their negative reply;
such holders of debentures, who do not give such consent, are invariable given the option
to get the debentures redeemed or repurchased by the company at a price, which shall not
be less than the face value of the debentures;
the draft of letter of option should contain justification for the conversion price and be
sent to SEBI for vetting;
where the consent from the CCI stipulates cap price of conversion of FCDs/PCDs, the
BODs may determine the price at which the debentures may be converted;
Where the consent from the CCI stipulates cap price of conversion of FCDs/PCDs and
the cap price has been disclosed to the investors before subscription is made, there is no
need to give option to debenture holders.
89
90
Assumptions
1.
Modified data of PFC is used for the purpose of calculation and analysis.
2.
Bonds are taken as Zero Coupon Fully Convertible with a conversion period of
3
years.
3.
All the bond holders will opt to get their investment in FCDs converted into the
Equity shares of the company after 3 years.
4.
5.
6.
It is assumed that the issue is privately placed and after the conversion, the
equity shares will be held by private investors.
7.
To discount the cash flows from investment of the raised amount in power
projects, discounting factor is taken as 11.1%.
8.
Dividend rate is taken as 35% of Profit after Tax (based on current dividend
distribution trend) and for long term it is averaged at 37%.
9.
Issue amounts as Rs. 1000 crs, Rs. 1500 crs and Rs. 2000 crs
Conversion Price as Rs. 200, Rs. 250 and Rs. 400
Rate of Discount given at the time of issue of FCDs as 6.5%, 7%, 7.5% and
8%
Rate of Return from investing in Power Projects as 10%, 10.5% and 11.0%
10. The amount of repayment by PFC to its lenders has been taken from the audited
balance sheet of the company for the year 2007-08.
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Analysis
1. If the bonds are issued in the year 2008-09, then their maturity will fall in the year
2011-12 which will increase the amount of Issued Share Capital by the Issue Amount
which would still be safely less than the Authorized Share Capital of the company.
2. Analyzing the actual percentage increase in the amount of Borrowings &
Disbursements for the past five years, further percentage increase in the amount of
borrowings & disbursements has been extrapolated as 22% and 18% respectively.
3. As the Realization Rate for the company is around 99% for the past 5 years, the
amount that is recovered from its borrowers (Recovery) has been taken at a more
conservative rate of 95%.
4. The company can not afford to raise only the amount of Shortfall. It has to take into
account certain amount for any emergent contingency. So to guard against any
eventuality, the amount of Funds to be raised has been taken as 115% of the amount
of Shortfall to keep a cushion of 15% over and above the amount of Shortfall.
5. As the country needs various infrastructural inputs for its economic development and
the vast Indian Power Sector today offers one of the highest growth opportunities for power
financing companies, hence the increase in the Profit after Tax of the company has been
projected at 20%. This is also supported by the estimation of the Ministry of Power.
6. Debt-Equity Ratio: If the company does not issue Convertible bonds then the Debt-Equity
ratio of the company will violate the limits of the financial covenants (which is 6:1 as
agreed to by PFC and lenders of PFC) in the year 2011-12 but if these Convertible
bonds are issued then Debt-Equity Ratio will safely be in limits even if an amount of
mere Rs. 1000 crs is issued as FCDs. It should also be noted that with an increase in
Issue Size, say from Rs. 1000 crs to Rs. 2000 crs, the Debt-Equity ratio comes in
safer limits with Debt-Equity ratio being 5.91 when the issue size is Rs. 1000 crs;
5.72 when the issue size is Rs. 1500 crs; and 5.54 when the issue size is Rs.2000 crs.
7. Dilution of ownership: The government is generally reluctant to forgo its control over
Public Sector Undertakings by even a small percentage. But it should also be seen
that with a dilution of mere 2-7% a huge amount of Rs. 1000-2000 crs can be easily
mobilized. For example, if the company wants to mobilize Rs. 1000 crs and three
possibilities of Conversion Price as Rs. 200, Rs. 250 and Rs. 400(considering
Pessimistic, Most Likely and Optimistic conditions of the market) are taken then just
by diluting only 1.9% to 3.7% of the Govt. ownership, the company can obtain Rs.
1000 crs; and if it wants to mobilize Rs. 2000 crs taking Conversion Price as Rs. 200,
Rs. 250 and Rs.400 then by diluting only 3.7% to 7.1% of the govt. ownership, the
company can mobilize Rs. 2000 crs easily.
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8. If the company wants to enjoy Positive NPV by investing the issue amount in power
projects for 3 years then the rate of return on the power projects should be at least 1010.5% to make the investment worth it.
9. It can also be observed that keeping the Rate of dividend distribution constant, with
an increase in the Conversion Price from Rs. 200 to Rs. 400, the amount of Dividend
paid goes on decreasing.
10. By issuing Convertible bonds the company can reap the benefits of tax deduction
available on the interest payment on these bonds for the initial 3 years. Also at the
time of conversion it can balance its Debt-Equity ratio by shifting its debt into equity
and can avoid breaching the limits of financial covenants.
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Recommendations
1. The corporation may go for issue of Fully Convertible Bonds to contain its DebtEquity ratio within the specified financial covenants. Moreover, issuing bonds with a
conversion option becomes a cheaper source of finance as the interest rate offered is
quite below the normal rates in markets. Also, the company can take the tax
advantage on interest paid for the years before conversion and can opt not to
distribute dividends, if needed after conversion.
2. If the company opts for issuing FCDs in present scenario where the stock markets
have taken a downturn then the company is obliged to fix a lower Conversion price
which would decrease the amount of Share Premium and increase the number of
shares required to be issued per bond, hence the company may go for the issue at a
time when markets are at boom to get a higher premium per share.
3. If the company wants to avoid a situation in which it has to convert these bonds into
shares at a time when the market price of its shares is very high than the conversion
price then it may incorporate an option of Forced conversion by fixing a Strike Price.
Strike price is a price, which when breached by certain percentage, gives the right of
conversion forcefully to the issuing organization even before the conversion period.
4. The corporation may opt for leaving the decision of fixing of conversion price for a
later date like 6 months prior the conversion period. This will give a fair idea of
market price of equity shares, to the management, at the time of conversion.
5. If the Government does not want to dilute its ownership in PFC then a major portion
of the bond issue may be subscribed by the Government in the name of President of
India.
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References
95