BUCHAREST: Romania may tap bonds worth 2.5 billion euros ($2.81 billion) and $0.7 billion from foreign markets in 2017 and the same in 2018, while its gross funding needs are seen falling, the finance ministry's debt management strategy for 2016-2018 showed on Wednesday.
The strategy estimates gross funding needs at 47.6 billion lei ($11.88 billion) for next year and 52 billion lei for 2018, down from this year's 70.4 billion.
So far this year, the ministry has tapped 1.25 billion euros from foreign markets and issued domestic debt worth a little over 20 billion lei and 775 million euros, taking advantage of cuts by the central bank in minimum reserve requirements for commercial banks' hard currency liabilities.
The ministry said it could sell a total of 1.1 billion euros worth of domestic bonds this year, but none in 2017 and 2018.
Potential fiscal slippages were seen as risks to the debt outlook, as well as concerns over China's economic growth, the United Kingdom referendum on whether to exit the European Union and gradually rising interest rates in the United States.
However, given that foreigners held roughly 18 percent of Romanian debt, lower than elsewhere in emerging Europe, Romania was less vulnerable to shocks, the strategy said.
It also said the ministry aims to finalise the framework for secondary market instruments such as debt buybacks and exchanges as well as reverse repo operations.
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