By Yoruk Bahceli
LONDON, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Amazon was set to raise 4 billion pounds ($5.43 billion) from its first ever sterling bond sale on Wednesday that drew strong demand, according to a bank managing the deal, as hyperscalers rush to diversify their funding sources to finance the AI boom.
The deal is the latest example of how hyperscalers are increasingly selling bonds across markets outside of the U.S. this year, from euros to Swiss francs and the yen, as they make sure they can raise capital wherever they can, given their huge funding needs.
They have already issued more than $200 billion of debt this year, more than doubling from the whole of 2025, according to LSEG data.
Amazon saw over 12 billion pounds in demand for the four-part deal, which will is expected to raise 1 billion pounds each from 3-, 6-, 12- and 19-year bonds, according to the memo sent by the lead manager seen by Reuters.
They will price to offer spreads of 53 basis points, 75 basis points, 90 basis points and 93 basis points over corresponding British government bonds, the memo added.
The pound is the latest currency Amazon has added to its funding programme after tapping the euro, Swiss franc and Canadian dollar bond markets.
The European Central Bank warned earlier in September that hyperscalers’ push into the euro zone bond market could potentially crowd out other borrowers and push up their financing costs.
Google-parent Alphabet, was the first hyperscaler to tap the sterling market in February, when it raised £5.5 billion from a five-part deal, including a rare 100-year bond. It has also raised Japanese yen, Canadian and Australian dollar debt this year.
According to LSEG data, this is Amazon’s first bond sale since July, when it received weaker demand than in the past for a $25-billion offering, in one of several signs that the heavy pace of hyperscaler borrowing has started to test the limits of investor demand.
($1 = 0.7373 pounds)
($1 = 0.7373 pounds)
(Reporting by Yoruk Bahceli; Editing by Amanda Cooper)
Comments