Dubai May Not Present ‘Standstill’ Terms, Bankers Say

Dubai May Not Present ‘Standstill’ Terms, Bankers Say

Dec. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Dubai World, which is seeking to restructure about $22 billion of debt, may be unable to present a “standstill” offer to lenders today as the terms of government support for the state-owned holding company have yet to be agreed, two bankers involved in the talks said.

The complexity of Dubai World Group and its funding structure are to blame for the delay, one banker said, citing a Dec. 18 letter from the company’s Chief Restructuring Officer Aidan Birkett about the agenda for the meeting with creditors. The meeting is unlikely to be substantive and will focus on information sharing, another banker said. Both declined to be identified because the discussions are private. A spokesman for Dubai World would not comment.

Dubai World, one of the emirate’s three main state-owned business groups, announced Nov. 25 it would seek to freeze or delay repaying debt until at least May 30. The company said Dec. 1 it wants to alter terms on about $26 billion of debt, including of property unit Nakheel PJSC, which is building palm tree-shaped islands off the emirate’s coast. It repaid $4.1 billion on an Islamic bond from Nakheel last week after Dubai received a $10 billion loan from Abu Dhabi.

Markets

“This will certainly have a negative effect on markets,” said Fadi Al Said, head of equities at ING Investment Management (Dubai) Ltd. by telephone from Jordan. “With the amount of debt involved these discussions are going to take some time, like they did in the case of Global Investment in Kuwait.”

Global Investment House KSCC, the investment bank that defaulted on loan repayments at the end of last year, said Dec. 10 it signed an agreement with its creditors to restructure $1.73 billion of debt. Global entered into new three-year amortizing facilities with each of its 53 lending banks, thus ending the “events of default,” it said.

The Dubai Financial Market General Index lost 1.7 percent to 1,801.55 at 12:10 p.m. in the emirate. The index has dropped 14 percent since Dubai World’s debt restructuring announcement.

Information Sharing

Dubai, the second-biggest of seven states that make up the United Arab Emirates, and its state-owned companies borrowed at least $80 billion until last year to transform the emirate into a tourism and financial hub. The seizure of debt markets after the onset of the global credit crisis led to a 50 percent decline in property prices in the city and hampered the ability of Dubai-based companies to raise new loans.

Some Dubai World Group companies including DP World Ltd., the world’s fourth-biggest port operator, private equity company Istithmar World PJSC and ship repair company Drydocks World LLC, are excluded from the loan restructuring as they are on a “stable financial footing,” Dubai World has said.

Today’s meeting is meant to provide banks with information on debt of Dubai World and its subsidiaries and the terms of support of the Government of Dubai, the bankers said.

Dubai set up a special court Dec. 14 to oversee the financial reorganization of Dubai World. The court will enable the restructuring of Dubai World “in accordance with international best practices,” it said.

Government Support

Debt restructuring by Dubai state-run companies may almost double to $46.7 billion as more of the emirate’s businesses could need help making payments, Morgan Stanley said earlier this month. Dubai Holding LLC, Dubai Holding Commercial Operations Group LLC, Borse Dubai Ltd. and Dubai Sukuk Center Ltd. may join Dubai World in restructuring debt, Morgan Stanley analysts Mohamed W. Jaber and Paolo Batori wrote in the report.

Dubai set up a financial support fund earlier this year to help state-related companies facing problems raising cash amid the credit crisis. It raised $10 billion for the fund in February by selling bonds to the U.A.E. central bank and another $5 billion in November through a bond sale to Abu Dhabi government-controlled banks.

U.A.E. Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed al-Mansouri said further federal government support for Dubai should be “studied” properly. “Each issue has to be studied in a proper manner, evaluated and based on that an answer will be provided at the federal level or the local level,” al-Mansouri told reporters in Abu Dhabi today when asked whether the federal government will extend more financial support to Dubai.

Dubai World said Nov. 30 that its restructuring would be carried out over several phases and include an assessment of deleveraging options, “including asset sales.”

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