Gov’t may prefund 2014 borrowing needs

The government is poised to pre-fund its 2014 borrowing requirements to take advantage of the enormous funds that are leaving the special deposit accounts (SDAs) of the central bank.

According to National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon, the Bureau of the Treasury has the option to increase the volume of treasury bills and bonds that it will be selling in the remaining months of 2013. The BTr expects an increase in demand for government securities as banks remove their funds from SDAs.

Proceeds from the additional volume of T-bills and T-bonds to be sold in the remainder of the year may be set aside to help meet the government’s 2014 borrowing needs, she said.

“We want to see what will happen to the market appetite (for government securities as funds exit SDAs). If there will be considerable interest, we may do a prefunding. We may increase the volume of the auction (for T-bills and T-bonds this year),” De Leon told reporters on Wednesday after the meeting of the inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee.

Under the government’s previously announced borrowing schedule, it is supposed to borrow P241 billion this year to fund expenditure requirements that could not be covered by its projected revenue collection and to settle maturing obligations.

De Leon said the government might opt to borrow more than what had been programmed. As a result, it could borrow less in 2014.

Some P1.4 trillion is expected to exit the Bangko Sentral’s special deposit accounts following the restriction issued recently.

According to a BSP circular issued in May, retail funds may no longer be placed in SDAs. Only funds in trust accounts and unit investment trust funds (UITFs) will be allowed entry to the SDA facility.

The BSP gave banks until the end of July to withdraw 30 percent of the prohibited funds, and until the end of November to withdraw the balance.

Besides the national government, some insurance firms are also preparing to take advantage of the rise in demand for other financial instruments as a result of the new SDA restriction. Insurance firms, such as Philam Life, are launching new products this year to take advantage of the available liquidity.