Amazon Enlists Banks to Arrange Inaugural Sterling Bond Offering with Tenors Ranging From Three to Nineteen Years

Deep News
Sep 08

Amazon.com has engaged financial institutions to orchestrate its debut issuance of sterling-denominated bonds, a transaction anticipated to commence as early as Wednesday. The hyperscale cloud operator persists in tapping global debt markets to secure capital for artificial intelligence infrastructure projects. According to an individual with knowledge of the matter who requested anonymity, the e-commerce giant intends to sell bonds across multiple maturities, spanning from three years up to nineteen years, with JPMorgan, Barclays, HSBC Holdings, and NatWest Group Plc managing the sale.

The online retailer first ventured into euro-denominated debt in March of this year, achieving the largest corporate bond issuance ever recorded in euros. Following that milestone, it expanded into the Swiss franc market, simultaneously offering six distinct tranches in a record-breaking move. Collectively, Amazon.com stands as the most prolific bond issuer among hyperscale cloud providers in 2026, having sold bonds equivalent to over $92 billion year-to-date. Furthermore, its total debt burden ranks highest among these hyperscalers, reaching nearly double that of Microsoft's obligations.

The Seattle-based firm has earmarked $220 billion for capital expenditures this year, with Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy indicating that the lion's share will be channeled into artificial intelligence initiatives. Given the staggering scale and rapid cadence of these offerings, signs of investor fatigue are emerging. Demand for recent issues has softened, prompting underwriters to widen credit spreads to entice buyers, thereby elevating the cost of borrowing. This mounting concern is increasingly visible in the credit default swap market, where data reveal that hedging against default risk for leading hyperscalers has risen more steeply this year than an index tracking North American corporate CDS.

The issuance activity from hyperscale cloud operators, particularly in longer-dated tenors, is also exerting upward pressure on sovereign bond yields. These corporate offerings provide investors with an alternative in a segment historically dominated by government paper. As Johnathan Owen, portfolio manager at TwentyFour Asset Management, observed in a note last week: "What's abundantly clear is that hyperscalers are deliberately targeting the part of the market that corporates typically shy away from."

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