As banks look to mitigate their exposure from the leveraged buyout of X, formerly Twitter, they are strategically positioning themselves to sell off significant portions of the debt tied to Elon Musk’s acquisition. A recent plan involves a $3 billion debt sale, with Morgan Stanley leading the charge. This sale is particularly noteworthy as it comes at a time when investor interest is beginning to rebound, despite the platform’s ongoing financial challenges. The debt is expected to be offered at a discount of 90 to 95 cents on the dollar, reflecting the banks’ efforts to balance attractiveness for buyers while minimizing potential losses.
The backdrop for this debt sale is X’s considerable decline in valuation since Musk’s acquisition in October 2022. Fidelity recently reported that X is now valued at approximately $9.4 billion, a staggering 79% drop from its original purchase price. Contributing factors include a significant decrease in advertising revenue due to advertiser flight over content moderation issues and stagnant user growth. Musk himself has acknowledged these challenges, emphasizing the uphill battle X faces in regaining its status as a leading platform for advertisers.
In light of these circumstances, banks are adopting a multi-faceted strategy to reduce their debt exposure. They are not only pursuing this large-scale sale but also considering private transactions and retaining more junior debt holdings that could yield future benefits if X’s performance improves. By structuring the sale into chunks of at least $250 million, they aim to attract larger institutional investors who may be willing to take on this riskier asset.
Ultimately, these strategic moves reflect banks’ efforts to navigate the complex financial landscape surrounding X while adapting to changing market dynamics and investor sentiment. As they work to offload this debt, the future of X remains uncertain, with its ability to recover and thrive hinging on effective management and renewed advertiser confidence in the platform.
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