JERUSALEM, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Israel raised a record 8 billion U.S. dollars in its first international bond offering since the conflict with Hamas erupted in early October last year, the country's Finance Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement noted that the offering witnessed the highest demand in Israel's history, reaching about 38 billion U.S. dollars, 4.75 times the amount issued. The participation involved 400 investors from 36 countries.
The issuance included three new bonds with durations of 5, 10, and 30 years, aiming to attract a broad and diverse investor base while reducing financing costs.
The ministry pointed out that demand was led by quality strategic investors, such as pension funds, insurance companies, hedge funds, financial investors, and entities holding Israeli securities over time.
The underwriters for the procedure were Bank of America, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, and Goldman Sachs.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the high demand demonstrates investors' confidence in the country's economy and the government's economic policy.
As of the end of January, the Israeli government's deficit reached about 24 billion U.S. dollars, or 4.8 percent of its gross domestic product, mainly attributed to direct and indirect war expenses, as announced by the ministry. ■
