Foreign currency convertible bonds

Last updated

Foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) [1] are a special category of bonds. FCCBs are issued in currencies different from the issuing company's domestic currency. Corporations issue FCCBs to raise money in foreign currencies. These bonds retain all features of a convertible bond, making them very attractive to both the investors and the issuers.

Contents

These bonds assume great importance for multinational corporations and in the current business scenario of globalisation, where companies are constantly dealing in foreign currencies. [2]

FCCBs are quasi-debt instruments and tradable on the stock exchange. Investors are hedge-fund arbitrators or foreign nationals.

FCCBs appear on the liabilities side of the issuing company's balance sheet.

Under IFRS provisions, a company must mark-to-market the amount of its outstanding bonds. [3]

The relevant provisions for FCCB accounting are International Accounting Standards: IAS 39, IAS 32 and IFRS 7.

FCCB are issued by a company which can be redeemed either at maturity or at a price assured by the issuer. In case the company fails to reach the assured price, bond issuer is to get it redeemed. The price and the yield on the bond moves on the opposite direction. The higher the yield, lower is the price.

Foreign currency convertible bonds are equity linked debt securities that are to be converted into equity or depository receipts after a specified period. thus a holder of FCCB has the option of either converting it into equity share at a predetermined price or exchange rate, or retaining the bonds.

See also

Related Research Articles

In economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a difference in prices in two or more markets; striking a combination of matching deals to capitalise on the difference, the profit being the difference between the market prices at which the unit is traded. When used by academics, an arbitrage is a transaction that involves no negative cash flow at any probabilistic or temporal state and a positive cash flow in at least one state; in simple terms, it is the possibility of a risk-free profit after transaction costs. For example, an arbitrage opportunity is present when there is the possibility to instantaneously buy something for a low price and sell it for a higher price.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security (finance)</span> Tradable financial asset

A security is a tradable financial asset. The term commonly refers to any form of financial instrument, but its legal definition varies by jurisdiction. In some countries and languages people commonly use the term "security" to refer to any form of financial instrument, even though the underlying legal and regulatory regime may not have such a broad definition. In some jurisdictions the term specifically excludes financial instruments other than equities and Fixed income instruments. In some jurisdictions it includes some instruments that are close to equities and fixed income, e.g., equity warrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bond (finance)</span> Instrument of indebtedness

In finance, a bond is a type of security under which the issuer (debtor) owes the holder (creditor) a debt, and is obliged – depending on the terms – to repay the principal of the bond at the maturity date as well as interest over a specified amount of time. The interest is usually payable at fixed intervals: semiannual, annual, and less often at other periods. Thus, a bond is a form of loan or IOU. Bonds provide the borrower with external funds to finance long-term investments or, in the case of government bonds, to finance current expenditure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government bond</span> Bond issued by a government

A government bond or sovereign bond is a debt obligation issued by a national government to support government spending. It generally includes a commitment to pay periodic interest, called coupon payments, and to repay the face value on the maturity date. For example, a bondholder invests $20,000 into a 10-year government bond with a 10% annual coupon; the government would pay the bondholder 10% of the $20,000 each year. At the maturity date the government would give back the original $20,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Financial instrument</span> Monetary contract between parties

Financial instruments are monetary contracts between parties. They can be created, traded, modified and settled. They can be cash (currency), evidence of an ownership interest in an entity or a contractual right to receive or deliver in the form of currency (forex); debt ; equity (shares); or derivatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convertible bond</span> Type of bond

In finance, a convertible bond or convertible note or convertible debt is a type of bond that the holder can convert into a specified number of shares of common stock in the issuing company or cash of equal value. It is a hybrid security with debt- and equity-like features. It originated in the mid-19th century, and was used by early speculators such as Jacob Little and Daniel Drew to counter market cornering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American depositary receipt</span> Security representing ownership of an underlying number of shares of a foreign company

An American depositary receipt is a negotiable security that represents securities of a foreign company and allows that company's shares to trade in the U.S. financial markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preferred stock</span> Type of stock which may have any combination of features not possessed by common stock

Preferred stock is a component of share capital that may have any combination of features not possessed by common stock, including properties of both an equity and a debt instrument, and is generally considered a hybrid instrument. Preferred stocks are senior to common stock but subordinate to bonds in terms of claim and may have priority over common stock in the payment of dividends and upon liquidation. Terms of the preferred stock are described in the issuing company's articles of association or articles of incorporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fixed income</span> Type of investment

Fixed income refers to any type of investment under which the borrower or issuer is obliged to make payments of a fixed amount on a fixed schedule. For example, the borrower may have to pay interest at a fixed rate once a year and repay the principal amount on maturity. Fixed-income securities — more commonly known as bonds — can be contrasted with equity securities – often referred to as stocks and shares – that create no obligation to pay dividends or any other form of income. Bonds carry a level of legal protections for investors that equity securities do not — in the event of a bankruptcy, bond holders would be repaid after liquidation of assets, whereas shareholders with stock often receive nothing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cash and cash equivalents</span> Highly liquid, short-term assets

Cash and cash equivalents (CCE) are the most liquid current assets found on a business's balance sheet. Cash equivalents are short-term commitments "with temporarily idle cash and easily convertible into a known cash amount". An investment normally counts as a cash equivalent when it has a short maturity period of 90 days or less, and can be included in the cash and cash equivalents balance from the date of acquisition when it carries an insignificant risk of changes in the asset value. If it has a maturity of more than 90 days, it is not considered a cash equivalent. Equity investments mostly are excluded from cash equivalents, unless they are essentially cash equivalents.

A convertible security is a financial instrument whose holder has the right to convert it into another security of the same issuer. Most convertible securities are convertible bonds or preferred stocks that pay regular interest and can be converted into shares of the issuer's common stock. Convertible securities typically include other embedded options, such as call or put options. Consequently, determining the value of convertible securities can be a complex exercise. The complex valuation issue may attract specialized professional investors, including arbitrageurs and hedge funds who try to exploit disparities in the relationship between the price of the convertible security and the underlying common stock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corporate bond</span> Bond issued by a corporation

A corporate bond is a bond issued by a corporation in order to raise financing for a variety of reasons such as to ongoing operations, M&A, or to expand business. The term is usually applied to longer-term debt instruments, with maturity of at least one year. Corporate debt instruments with maturity shorter than one year are referred to as commercial paper.

A callable bond is a type of bond that allows the issuer of the bond to retain the privilege of redeeming the bond at some point before the bond reaches its date of maturity. In other words, on the call date(s), the issuer has the right, but not the obligation, to buy back the bonds from the bond holders at a defined call price. Technically speaking, the bonds are not really bought and held by the issuer but are instead cancelled immediately.

A structured product, also known as a market-linked investment, is a pre-packaged structured finance investment strategy based on a single security, a basket of securities, options, indices, commodities, debt issuance or foreign currencies, and to a lesser extent, derivatives. Structured products are not homogeneous — there are numerous varieties of derivatives and underlying assets — but they can be classified under the aside categories. Typically, a desk will employ a specialized "structurer" to design and manage its structured-product offering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bond market</span> Financial market where participants can issue new debt or buy and sell debt securities

The bond market is a financial market where participants can issue new debt, known as the primary market, or buy and sell debt securities, known as the secondary market.This is usually in the form of bonds, but it may include notes, bills, and so on for public and private expenditures. The bond market has largely been dominated by the United States, which accounts for about 39% of the market. As of 2021, the size of the bond market is estimated to be at $119 trillion worldwide and $46 trillion for the US market, according to Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid security</span>

Hybrid securities are a broad group of securities that combine the characteristics of the two broader groups of securities, debt and equity.

A global depository receipt is a general name for a depositary receipt where a certificate issued by a depository bank, which purchases shares of foreign companies, creates a security on a local exchange backed by those shares. They are the global equivalent of the original American depositary receipts (ADR) on which they are based. GDRs represent ownership of an underlying number of shares of a foreign company and are commonly used to invest in companies from developing or emerging markets by investors in developed markets.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to finance:

Qualified institutional placement (QIP) is a capital-raising tool, primarily used in India and other parts of southern Asia, whereby a listed company can issue equity shares, fully and partly convertible debentures, or any securities other than warrants which are convertible to equity shares to a qualified institutional buyer (QIB).

Indian Depository Receipt (IDR) is a financial instrument denominated in Indian Rupees in the form of a depository receipt. The IDR is a specific Indian version of the similar global depository receipts.

References

  1. "Foreign Currency Convertible Bond (FCCB)". Investopedia. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  2. "Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds" . Retrieved 2017-06-06.
  3. "Accounting for convertible bonds under IFRS" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-06-06.