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NEW YORK, June 14 (Reuters) – Belize said on Monday holders of its 2034 bonds have agreed to extend the grace period of a coupon payment missed last month to Sept. 19.
Belize’s $550 million bond was unchanged in price on Monday but closed up 5 cents last week for its strongest weekly showing in 14 months. The consent solicitation deadline expired on Friday.
“The grace period relating to the May 20, 2021 coupon payment will be extended to September 19, 2021,” the ministry of finance said in a statement.
The proposal had been endorsed by a group of creditors, including U.S.-based GMO and Greylock as well as London-based Abrdn.
The bond traded as low as 32.5 cents on the dollar in the second half of April, and last traded at 40.25 cents. The price matches its May high and is the highest since early April.
Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund said Belize’s recovery is subject to large risks and challenges, including “unsustainable public debt, widening external imbalances, and vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change.”
The IMF projects gross domestic product will grow 1.5% this year and 6.2% in 2022.
The Central American country has been hit hard by the impact of COVID-19, with a sharp fall in tourism revenue and a rise in spending. (Reporting by Rodrigo Campos in New York and Karin Strohecker in London; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
