Failed Islamic Bond Auctions Forcing Govt to Look Overseas
The failure of 10 rupiah-denominated sukuk auctions this year has prompted the Finance Ministry to revive demand for its Islamic debt by tapping international investors and changing its sales practices. Indonesia has raised Rp 4.9 trillion ($540 million) from notes that comply with Islam’s ban on interest so far this year, down 40 percent from a year earlier, according to the ministry’s Debt Management Office. The next auction is seeking Rp 1 trillion.
Indonesia may negotiate rates through book-building rather than in a single auction. Domestic investors are demanding higher returns from the bonds because they aren’t actively traded, according to PT Bank Danamon Indonesia and PT Bank Syariah Mandiri. Indonesia sold its first domestic sukuk in August 2008 through book-building. State-owned PT Danareksa Sekuritas, PT Mandiri Sekuritas and PT Trimegah Sekuritas arranged the sale, which raised 2.7 trillion rupiah. The government had 38 trillion rupiah of sukuk outstanding as of June 29.
The government plans to sell five-, seven- and 10-year Islamic bonds on Tuesday, according to the Finance Ministry’s Web site. It failed to sell any at three auctions this year. The remaining seven sales all fell short of target. The government raised Rp 474 billion at its last auction on June 15, less than the 1 trillion rupiah sought because yield bids were too high. It received offers amounting to 1.76 trillion rupiah. The yield on the seven-year sukuk dropped 20 basis points from the previous sale to 8.65 percent.
The yield on the sukuk maturing in January 2017 rose one basis point to 8.07 last week, according to prices from Indonesia’s Interdealer Market Association. The industry’s global assets may almost triple to $2.8 trillion by 2015, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based Islamic Financial Services Board. Transactions are based on the exchange of asset flows rather than interest, to comply with Shariah principles. The government is planning to sell as much as $650 million of Islamic bonds overseas in October. The nation had its first international sukuk issue last year.
