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JPMorgan among banks providing financing for Kuwaiti oil pipeline stake deal

Three people familiar with the matter said that JPMorgan, two Kuwaiti banks and HSBC are joining forces to form a $6 billion financing consortium for prospective buyers of a stake in Kuwait Oil?Corporation?s crude 'oil pipeline network. KPC is in discussions with potential investors about a stake sale of its crude oil pipelines, estimated at $7 billion.

The U.S. and Israeli war against Iran has thrown the process into doubt. State energy company said it had suffered "severe material damage" to some of its operating units following drone attacks. The company did not say which units were affected. Two of the sources stated that the company pushed back the deadline for the preliminary bids from April 7 to April 28, after investors requested more time because the?conflict was rapidly evolving. On April 8, the United States and Iran announced a ceasefire. One source said that investors are looking for guarantees to protect them from the risk of disruptions in the flow of goods through Kuwait's pipeline system and the Strait of Hormuz.

TERMS OF THE LOAN

According to the sources, the loan JPMorgan is offering for the KPC stake deal will have a tenure of 20 years and an indicative price of 170 basis point over the Secured overnight Financing rate. National Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait Finance House and others are also involved in the loan. The people declined to give their names as this matter is not public.

One person described the price as competitive, given the current market conditions in the region. HSBC and JPMorgan declined to comment. They are advising KPC in this process. KPC, NBK, and KFH declined to comment on requests for comments.

Three banks have joined HSBC which had reported that it was the lead underwriter on this transaction.

The'stake sale' was launched just before the joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, on February 28, and Iranian attacks against Israel, U.S. base and Gulf States.

Kuwait's central banks responded to the conflict by relaxing a number of regulatory requirements for local lenders. They also loosened liquidity standards, including coverage ratios and net stable funding rates, and raised lending limits in an effort to maintain credit flow and support economic stability.

The KPC transaction is the latest of a series?of fundraisings for pipelines by Gulf oil companies.

The KPC pipeline network links Kuwait's oilfields with export terminals in the Arabian Gulf.

(source: Reuters)