Malaysia issues $800 million U.S. dollar sustainability sukuk, world's first by a sovereign

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia has issued $800 million worth of 10-year trust certificates, billed as the world's first sovereign U.S. dollar sustainability sukuk as the proceeds will be used exclusively for green projects, the finance ministry said on Thursday.

In addition, the Southeast Asian nation also issued $500 million 30-year trust certificates, the ministry said in a statement.

Malaysia, which has the largest sukuk market globally, upsized the offering from an initial target size of $1.0 billion to $1.3 billion due to demand as over-subscription hit 6.4 times.

"The strong demand has also resulted in the lowest ever yield and spread for a U.S.-dollar sukuk issuance by Malaysia," the ministry said, with the 10-year and 30-year trust certificates priced at 2.070% and 3.075% respectively.

Proceeds from the sukuk will be used for eligible social and green projects aligned to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, enabling the country to meet its commitments as a signatory to the Paris Agreement.

(Reporting by Liz Lee; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Christopher Cushing)

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