The Great Debate

– Neil Unmack is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own –

Whether a “careful plan” or strategic blunder, Dubai’s request for a debt standstill for its Dubai World holding company has rattled lenders who were counting on government support.

It will now struggle to contain the fallout for other Dubai-owned entities.

In the case of Dubai World, banks and other creditors have the option of rejecting the standstill and trying to enforce security over the holding company’s assets — which include the QE2 cruise liner and port operator DP World. But the legal process will be drawn out and recovery values unpredictable.
International creditors may struggle to persuade local banks to reject the standstill.

That would suggest an out of court restructuring is more likely, and that banks will push for the best terms they can get.

Much will depend on how the proposed standstill is structured, which is still not certain. Lenders may be unwilling to sign to an agreement that forces them to defer interest, because that would make it more likely that they will have to take additional bad debt provisions before the end of the year.

– Neil Unmack is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own —

Some kind of debt restructuring was inevitable for Dubai’s myriad overleveraged borrowers, but the emirate’s decision not to support property developer Nakheel and seek a debt standstill for holding company Dubai World has devastated its standing in financial markets. Dubai’s future and ability to attract much-needed external capital will depend on how it handles the fallout.

It is rare to see a company announce plans to launch a bond on the same day it threatens creditors to one of its main businesses with potential default. That’s what Dubai just did, when it asked creditors of flagship holding company Dubai World and property developer Nakheel, owned by Dubai World, for a debt standstill until next May on the same day it announced plans to sell a bond for its electricity and water authority.

– Alexander Smith is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own —

Abu Dhabi is not going to crow publicly over Dubai’s troubles. But it will use the opportunity to assert control over its upstart neighbor. The price for Abu Dhabi’s help could be prize assets like airline Emirates. Dubai has little choice but to do what it is told.

Dubai is unable to service the $80 billion debt it has amassed during its meteoric rise to wannabe global financial hub. Oil-rich Abu Dhabi holds the political and financial trump cards. Not only is it the capital of the United Arab Emirates, its ruler is head of the UAE’s seven desert states — squeezed between Saudi Arabia and Oman.