Through this operation, Honduras returns to bond market after three years and these funds will be destined to pay off the state-owned power company ENEE's debt.

On June 17th, Honduras returned to the cross-border bond market after three years by selling $600 million worth of 10-year bonds to pay off debt for the state-owned power company Empresa Nacional de Energía Eléctrica.

The 2030 notes priced at par with a coupon of 5.625%, which is the lowest financial cost for Honduran bond market operations. The bookrunners were Banco Atlántida and Oppenheimer, who have a broad experience working with underdeveloped countries and today could be setting the foundation for a regional point of inflection that will unchain the slow world debt market growth.

The new issue comes in with a coupon significantly tighter than the $700 million worth of 10-year bonds sold in 2017 with a coupon of 6.25%.

Banco Atlántida becomes the first Central American bank to act as an investment bank in the international market. Its CEO, Guillermo Bueso, expressed "With this bond market operation, our experience deepens while having the opportunity to see the way in which the international financial markets operate and achieving this successful placement, obtaining for Honduras the lowest financial cost in the course of history. Despite the complex situation in which we currently find ourselves due to pandemic, together with the Ministry of Finance, we were able to explain in detail what Honduras is currently achieving and show that our country has a future and this is what the debt´s price reflects."

The risk ratings that Honduras has obtained from Standard & Poor´s and Moodys, both with a stable outlook, have allowed it to obtain international capital market funds at favorable rates.

Honduras joins Panama and Guatemala as the third sovereign issuer in Central America to sell bonds in the cross-border market since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Panama sold $2.5 billion worth of 36-year notes with a coupon of 4.5% in late March, while Guatemala issued $1.2 billion in a two-part deal in April.