GAVI said the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) priced its inaugural Australian dollar benchmark. The AUD$400 million, five-year bonds “provide investors with a unique opportunity to help protect millions of children in the world’s poorest countries against preventable diseases.” This most recent offering from IFFIm “demonstrates institutional investors’ continued support for IFFIm and its humanitarian purpose. IFFIm raises funds that are used by the GAVI Alliance to save children’s lives and protect people’s health by increasing access to immunisation in developing countries.” Alan R. Gillespie, Chairman of IFFIm’s Board, said, “This new offering introduces IFFIm as a benchmark issuer in another market – the Australian Dollar market. It follows IFFIm’s debut in the USD benchmark market in 2006, its institutional GBP offering in 2009, and a series of bonds for institutional and retail investors in Japan and the UK. We are extremely pleased that the transaction was received with great enthusiasm by such a diverse group of investors that seized the opportunity to purchase IFFIm bonds, while enabling IFFIm to deliver cost-efficient financing for much needed immunisation programmes in the poorest countries through the GAVI Alliance.”

http://www.gavialliance.org/media_centre/press_releases/iffim_australia.php