Credit glossary

What is a CoCo (Contingent Convertible)?

A hybrid bond that converts to equity or is written down when the issuer's capital ratio falls below a trigger level.

Lecture 5

CoCo (Contingent Convertible)

A hybrid bond that converts to equity or is written down when the issuer's capital ratio falls below a trigger level.

How it works in practice

A European bank issues a CoCo bond with a 7.5% coupon and a trigger at a 5.125% CET1 ratio. When the bank reports quarterly results showing its CET1 ratio has dropped to 4.9%, the CoCo automatically converts into ordinary shares. Bondholders become equity holders, and the bank's capital ratio improves because it no longer owes the bond principal as debt.

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