Czech Republic case study

Landmark transactions for HSBC in the Czech Republic
HSBC cemented its credentials in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) thanks to its senior involvement in a series of landmark eurobond transactions for Czech power company EZ A.S., one of Europe's top utility companies.

Gaining credibility
EZ is considered the most high-profile corporate in CEE and is 70 per cent owned by the Czech Republic sovereign fund. HSBC acted as joint lead manager and active bookrunner on the EUR500 million, 3.625 per cent, May 2016 bond offering for EZ, which was announced on the morning of 18 May 2011, and was three times oversubscribed when the books closed.

A blueprint for working together
The deal was the result of months of hard work by a team consisting of colleagues from the local Corporate and Global Market teams, and the London-based Debt Capital Markets team. EZ ranks among the top 10 European power utilities. It was the fourth HSBC-led transaction for EZ since 2009 and represented a significant achievement for EZ, effectively opening a new maturity in the firm's eurobond curve.

Uniting emerging and emerged markets
In November 2009, the Bank followed its initial transaction by acting as sole lead manager and sole swap counterparty on a new USD100 million three-year, floating-rate medium-term note (MTN) private placement for EZ.

It was the first MTN private placement executed for any HSBC client in CEE and further evidence of our growing influence in the region. Then, in April 2010, the Bank acted as joint lead manager and bookrunner on a EUR750 million, April 2025 bond offering for EZ.

HSBC is able to provide access to overseas investors due to its global presence and deep roots in investor bases. HSBC's ability to connect emerging markets with developed markets for the customers' benefit positions the Bank strongly for the future.