Schoenherr (Schönherr Rechtsanwälte)

Schoenherr (Schönherr Rechtsanwälte)

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Austria: Schoenherr advises Wienerberger on the successful issue of EUR 350m Sustainability-Linked Bonds

Schoenherr advised Wienerberger AG as issuer's counsel in connection with the successful, oversubscribed issue of EUR 350,000,000 4.875 % Sustainability-Linked Bonds 2023-2028.

The bond is the first sustainability-linked-bond with a KPI-link by an Austrian issuer placed among international institutional investors as well as Austrian retail investors.

The Sustainability-Linked Bonds were issued under Austrian law in a nominal amount of EUR 350m on 4 October 2023. The coupon is 4.875 % per annum and the term is five years. The coupon for the last year of the term will increase if one or both of the pre-defined step-up events linked to sustainability targets of Wienerberger AG occur. The bonds have a denomination of EUR 1,000 each and are admitted to the Official Market of the Vienna Stock Exchange.

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, Danske Bank A/S, Erste Group Bank AG and UniCredit Bank AG acted as Joint Lead Managers and Bookrunners for the transaction.

"The offering of Wienerberger's Sustainability-Linked Bonds was very successful," said Schoenherr partner and co-head of the firm's capital markets practice Christoph Moser. "We are very pleased that the Issuer has relied on our legal expertise in this challenging transaction, which represents the first offering of sustainability-linked bonds with a KPI-link by an Austrian corporate also to retail investors."

Wienerberger is one of the leading providers of innovative, ecological solutions for the entire building envelope, in the fields of new buildings and renovations, as well as infrastructure in water and energy management. Wienerberger has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1869 and is a pure free float company with 100 % of its shares being publicly traded.

Besides Christoph Moser (lead partner), the Schoenherr team consisted of Angelika Fischer (attorney at law), Daniel Gritsch (associate), Viktoria Stark (associate) and Clemens Stockhammer.

Wolf Theiss (lead: Claus Schneider, Nikolaus Dinhof-Renezeder, Sebastian Prakljacic) advised the Joint Lead Managers and Bookrunners as banks' counsel.