NautaDutilh successfully assisted Helios Towers Africa (HTA) with its debut USD 600 million 9.125% high yield bonds offering, listed on the Irish Stock Exchange.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Standard Bank acted as initial purchasers, coordinators and bookrunners. Standard Chartered acted as initial purchasers and lead arranger.

Helios Towers Africa combined its bonds issue with the entering into of a USD 60 million revolving credit facility. For this part, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Standard Bank acted as coordinators and, together with Standard Chartered Bank, as mandated lead arrangers.

Helios Towers Africa is an independent telecoms tower operator with 6,500 towers across Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Ghana and Tanzania, and this is their first high yield bond transaction and the first for an issuer with assets in certain of these jurisdictions.

The deal team was led by Petra Zijp and Antonia Netiv (both Capital markets) and Walter Schellekens (Finance) and consisted of Dewi Walian and Gwenn Korteweg (both Capital markets).