Russia Plans First-Ever Sale Of Yuan Bonds

Tyler Durden's picture

As Russia braces for further sanctions from Washington D.C. over their alleged role in "meddling" in the 2016 U.S. election, they are reportedly prepping a $1 billion yuan-denominated bond issuance in an effort to preemptively diversify financing risks away from the West.  According to Bloomberg, the sale will total 6 billion yuan and could come as early as next week.

Russia hired Bank of China Ltd., Gazprombank and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. to arrange investor meetings for the sale of 6 billion yuan ($907 million) in five-year notes, according to people familiar with the plans. The issuance is slated for the end of this year or beginning of 2018, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal isn’t yet public.

 

The sale has been under discussion since U.S. and European sanctions in 2014 over the takeover of Crimea blocked many state-owned Russian companies’ access to Western capital markets. A report due next quarter from the U.S. Treasury on the potential consequences of extending penalties to include Russian sovereign debt has increased pressure on the Finance Ministry to seek out alternative means of borrowing.

 

“It would be wise of Russia to tap the yuan market now,” said Vladimir Miklashevsky, a senior economist at Danske Bank A/S in Helsinki. “China remains Russia’s biggest trade partner, China’s enormous financial system has lots of buying potential, too.”

While Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina has said there will be “no serious consequences” from U.S. sanctions on new domestic government debt, economists in a Bloomberg survey estimated the move could add 50 basis points to 150 basis points to borrowing costs.

The Yuan-denominated bonds, known as dim-sum bonds, would be listed on the Moscow Exchange and available for investors to purchase via the Moscow branch of ICBC.

Of course, in addition to advancing Russian diversification interests, a successful sale of yuan-denominated Russian debt would also advance China's interests in the internationalization of the yuan. 

If Russia goes through with the sale, it would be the first sovereign issuance of a yuan-denominated bonds outside of China since 2016, according to Dealogic, with prior issuances in Hungary, Mongolia, the U.K. and the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
JibjeResearch's picture

Good bye petrodollars...

I'm not sad/angry about this... even though I am an American.

Everywhere I look at, there's money to be made..., just the quantity is different.

Yukon Cornholius's picture

Paper with dead Bolsheviks and Commisars on it in ever increasing amounts. Smells like judenborscht to me.

ZH Snob's picture

sure.  more fiat bonds.  sounds like a big step backwards.

Implied Violins's picture

...but but but they're BRICS fiat bonds! Doesn't that make you feel better?

JibjeResearch's picture

Bonds supposed to make people feel safe/better?

Arnold's picture

My word is my bond.

--Ancient Chinese Secret

Implied Violins's picture

It's the same, ancient game run by the (((same families))). Out with the old, in with the new!

Same as it ever was. Since Babylon.

http://www.economicreason.com/usdollarcollapse/world-reserve-currencies-...

America: Bad cop. Russia/China: Good cop.

Outcome: still in jail - but now we celebrate getting an increase in our chocolate ration, from 20 grams to 18!

just the tip's picture

so.  the BRICS thing is a go?

Implied Violins's picture

They may choose a different name and move pieces around a bit, like Blackwater to Academi, but functionally, yes. The FED/IMF/BIS etc. might get a make-over but the (((players))) will be the same.

Davidduke2000's picture

what did you expect crypto crap? Bonds are contracts for paper money. China wants the Chinese billionaires to put their money in Russia and other friendly nations.

Arnold's picture

Whoah...wait... wah?

major major major major's picture

In retaliation the US plans to hire Banco de Mexico to issue Juan Bonds...

NemesisteM's picture

I will take 50.  Throw in a couple AK's, that furry hat and a blonde Russian girl and I may come back for more.  What petro dollar?

Jack's Raging Bile Duct's picture

Considering how openly the Chinese print and with how wild domestic inflation is in China, why would anyone buy this? Not worth anything unless you have some inside knowledge of very imminent yuan/physical gold convertibility. Despite rumors, that's just not going to happen--for mundanes at least.

heddahenrik's picture

Tip: Issue bonds in the currencies of failing empires! They will be cheap to repay.

Tip 2: Issue bonds in gold that is the shiny yellow crap empires use to impress other empires.

Tip 3: Don't issue bonds in any crypto currency. You know why.

Chupacabra-322's picture

Here's a good analysis revealing the real catalyst for Trump Armageddon:

"The true motive behind the wars in the Middle East is to maintain the US dollar as Reserve Currency and the Petrodollar as the unit of value for a barrel of oil. thus financing the US economy and its Military enforcement machine.

Russia and China have been dumping their US Treasury Bonds slowly and now trade between themselves in Gold, Yuan and rubles.

They have formed a new Financial system with the AIIB (Asian investment and Infrastructure Bank). They have formed a new Bank Clearing System, separate from SWIFT. They have their own credit card systems.

China is building the NEW SILK ROADS and sea arteries to connect the countries of ASIA to Europe. Trade along these routes will be in local currencies, bypassing the dollar.

The Silk Roads by-pass the US Navy’s control of the sea route choke points and make their carrier fleets largely redundant as enforcement tools..

For the Washington war machine, Syria is but a stop along the road to Iran, then up into Central Asia to cut and control the Silk Road and impose the US dollar toll charge.

The New Silk Roads spell the end of the US dollar as the dominant currency and the end of the US military and Financial hegemon.

Thus Syria is a major pivot point in World History and will be a war to the end. Empires die slowly and usually decay from within, but this may not be the case with the neocon psychopaths reluctant to concede power.

There are other US allies with interests in subduing Syria; Saudi and Qatar to build their gas pipeline to the Meditterean and onto the European Market, this undermines Russian near monopoly of supply and will undermine their already fragile economy.

Turkey with its grab for the corridor to the oilfields of Mosul and subjugation of its rebellious Kurds.

Israel and its Oded Yinon plan to break-up Syria and grab land, also to cut the Shia Crescent connecting Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

European countries who are reliant on Russian gas energy supplies and wish to have another supply source from the Gulf States.

So there are many countries ready to feed on the carcass of Syria, if it is defeated."

Pandelis's picture

this analysis is BS ... is still assumes wars are done for lands ... that is an old concept - look at the Gulf countries Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dabi etc.  they have build entire countries in dessert ... you can built anything anywhere

MEFOBILLS's picture

Russia only needs FX for buying the things it cannot produce domestically.  It also needs some FX for its central bank, which still operates under BIS rules.

Russia can acquire Yuans by selling Oil to China.  

Diversifying Russian economy means that Rubles don't have to leave the country, and also helps a middle class to form.  People can work making things, to then acquire Rubles.

There is this idea that countries have to "borrow" on the international credit market.  This notion is hypnosis.  A sovereign country has its own credit, and should always use that first.  

Russia has plenty of capable human capital, they have "earth" and they can make their own goods.  The ((harvard)) boys tried to reduce Russians to being hewers of wood and drawers of water in the 90's - that is, exporting Russian earth and minerals, for other nations to fashion into goods.

The boyeezs scam was to get Russians into dollar denominated debt, and to discharge said dollar debt would require exporting oil, platinum, minerals, etc.  This then collapses Russian laboring middle class, and builds up a financial Oligarchy who has then claimed Russia's land and patrimony.  The Oligarchs then employ Russians to go around digging holes in the ground rather than making goods as prices.  Of course, usual ((suspects)) are always involved in these sort of sophisticated scams and the grabbing of resources for their ingroup.

The more West tries to isolate Russia, the more Russian's are able to diversify their own economy.  Sanctions are a blessing in disguise for Russians.