(Ecofin Agency) - In the coming weeks, Tunisia will issue a Eurobond ranging between €750 million and €1 billion, Reuters reported on Feb 19 citing an official source.
“We will go to the international market in few weeks. It should be between mid-March and May 2016, for between 750 million euros and 1 billion euros,” the official told Reuters, indicating that funds collected after the transaction will be used to finance some part of the country’s budget deficit.
It is the fifth time that Tunisia is going to the international debt market after President Ben Ali’s fall in January 2011. Indeed, it first issued a “Samurai” bond in the Japanese market with a guarantee from JBIC (Japan Bank for International Cooperation), then it got, in 2014, two loans benefiting from an American guarantee and in January 2015, issued a non-guaranteed Eurobond. The order book of this last bond whose rate was 5.875% exceeded $4 billion for $500 million.
As it completed its political transition, Tunisia now struggles to restart its economy which suffers from political and security troubles that emerged after the fall of President Ben Ali. Last year, the situation worsened with the Bardo and Sousse terrorist attacks that killed 60 and greatly affected tourism.
The Northern African nation has in fact initiated on February 18 talks with the International Monetary Fund regarding the implementation of a new aid plan of a minimum amount of $1.7 billion.
