MTS enters into Russian ESG bond market to ballooning investor demand

Mobile TeleSystems, Russia’s largest mobile operator, has sold a social bond in roubles, as it became the latest major Russian corporate to foray into ESG financing. The issuer has not ruled out a return to international markets, although in recent years it has pivoted towards domestic funding.
The Rb4.5bn ($59m) 6.5% three year social bond was priced to yield 6.61%.
The bond attracted notable investor demand. “The demand we attracted on this bond was meaningfully higher than on conventional bonds," said Polina Ugryumova, director, investor relations at MTS in Moscow. "Typically, we’ll have 50-100 investors on a conventional ...Already a subscriber? Login