Cleary Gottlieb represented Citigroup Inc. in its sale of $7.5 billion of mandatorily convertible trust preferred Units (Upper DECS Equity Units) to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. The investment, conducted as a private placement, will give ADIA a 4.9% ownership stake in Citi on an as-converted basis. ADIA has agreed not to own more than a 4.9% stake in Citi, and will have no special rights of ownership or control and no role in the management or governance of Citi, including no right to designate a member of Citi’s Board of Directors. Citi and ADIA agreed on the investment on November 26, and it closed on December 3.
Substantially all of the investment proceeds will be treated by Citi as Tier 1 capital for regulatory capital purposes. Accordingly, it will support Citi’s progress toward its goal of achieving its targeted capital ratios by the end of the first half of 2008.
Each Upper DECS Equity Unit consists of a contract to purchase stock at different future purchase dates and an interest in four series of trust preferred securities. The Upper DECS Equity Units mandatorily convert into shares of Citi common stock on dates ranging from March 15, 2010, to September 15, 2011, at prices ranging from $31.83 to $37.24. Each Upper DECS Equity Unit will pay a fixed annual payment rate of 11%.
Citigroup Inc., a global financial services company with approximately 200 million customer accounts in over 100 countries, provides financial products and services, including banking, securities brokerage and asset management.
ADIA is the sovereign wealth fund of the government of Abu Dhabi, one of the seven emirates that comprise the federation of the UAE.