PANews reported on August 24 that according to Bloomberg, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) used blockchain technology to issue bonds for the first time with the assistance of Citigroup Inc. and BMO Capital Markets, raising $300 million. AIIB Finance Director Domenico Nardelli said in an interview that the AAA-rated bonds have a coupon rate of 4% and will mature in January 2027. He also added that AIIB will assess secondary market demand before deciding whether to issue further such bonds next year.
According to a statement, the bank became the first Asian institution to issue bonds on the Euroclear distributed ledger platform, and the digital bond sale was also the first U.S. dollar bond sale on the platform. Andrew Mulley, global head of product and agency trust at Citigroup Securities Services, said Citi will assist in distributing the bonds and settling payments with issuers and investors. Citi and BMO are underwriters for the deal. Citi also served as the issuing and paying agent.
