Question

Financing Strategies

A firm based in Mexico has found that its growth is restricted by the limited liquidity of the Mexican capital market. List the firm’s options for raising money on the global capital market. Discuss the pros and cons of each option, and make a recommendation. How might your recommended options be affected if the Mexican peso depreciates significantly on the foreign exchange markets over the next two years?

Answer 1

The searching companies can work for equity or debt loans in order to raise money on global capital markets. The debt of a foreign institution, lender, and other debt suppliers is also an option to raise money in the capital market. As equity loans include the sale of equity to investors, while the issue of bonds is part of debt loans. Capital costs are usually less than in the domestic market and the company can even borrow money from the bank. And enterprises need to be very careful to take into account the risk of adverse exchange rates because, if the peso is to be depreciated, they should be aware of the cost of acquiring the currency needed to repay a foreign exchange loan.

Moreover, foreign equity, floating foreign or Eurobonds offerings, or borrowing on the Euro currency markets may be considered by the Mexican firm. The euro currency market would then certainly provide the company with additional funding at a lower rate domestically. And if the peso decreases in the next 2 years, the company has to repay the credit in a different currency unless the company can use the future market. The value of euro currency loans would definitely be reduced.

We can recognize that the use of both foreign and euro bonds has the same disadvantages as the bonds have to be repaid in an anti-peso currency. The international bond market has important points that are worth considering, given the fewer regulations, disclosure requirements, and fiscal implications if the currency risk can be properly analyzed and minimized. Since the foreign equity market requires no payment to its stockholders and also has the greatest independence from its actions, it is perhaps the most attractive for the company. So, if the hesitations are to be overcome, investors will likely have to have strong growth prospects.