SoftBank Corp.’s corporate bond-type stock traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange today at more than the offering price, in the first listing of its type in Japan.
The ¥120 billion ($800 million) of publicly sold class shares debuted under the issue code “94345,” which is SoftBank’s ticker plus a “5.” The shares were traded at ¥4,035 as of 1 p.m. in Tokyo, compared with an offering price of ¥4,000.
The company will probably do more of this type of financing in future, President Junichi Miyagawa told reporters at a bell-ringing ceremony at the exchange.
The class shares were mainly sold to individuals who can receive a stable dividend of 2.5% on the class shares, which are redeemable at the issue price if SoftBank calls them after five years. That compares with an average coupon of 0.6% on five-year yen-denominated corporate bonds sold this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Japanese are seeking ways to build wealth as inflation has jumped to near the highest in more than 40 years, meaning that just parking assets in cash and deposits is no longer enough. The SoftBank securities can be bought and sold anytime on the exchange, and they’re also tax exempt under the new NISA savings accounts.
The new financing tool is paving the way for other Japanese companies to follow suit, said Toshiyasu Ohashi, chief credit analyst at Daiwa Securities Co. He noted that the class shares are recognized as capital and don’t cause any dilution as they have no voting rights.
Individual investors bought ¥110 billion of shares at the offering last month, while institutions including central public agencies and regional lenders purchased ¥10 billion, according to the joint lead managers.
(Adds comment from SoftBank president in third paragraph.)
