Noble Group yesterday won approval from shareholders for a US$3.5 billion (S$4.8 billion) debt restructuring plan that should ensure the survival of what was once Asia's biggest commodity trader.
Faced with the prospect of insolvency, Noble shareholders reluctantly backed a debt-for-equity swap that will leave them owning just 20 per cent of the business, while handing majority control to a group of creditors comprised mainly of hedge funds.
"It's obviously a relief to get this out of the way today and to get such a strong support from our shareholders," Noble chairman Paul Brough told reporters after the company won approval from 99.6 per cent of shareholders voting at yesterday's 90-minute meeting in Singapore.
"It's all about the business now, rather than the restructuring," Mr Brough said after fielding numerous questions about the restructured firm's prospects from the shareholders who packed the meeting hall.
Several small shareholders attending the meeting said they were angry with Noble's management as the plan diluted the value of their investments, but said they saw no choice but to support the plan in order to save at least some of their money. "We want to keep the company afloat rather than liquidate it," said Mr Roger Ong, 49, a driver who invested in Noble shares.
Noble - founded in 1986 by Mr Richard Elman, who took advantage of a commodities bull run to build the firm into one of the world's biggest traders - has had its market value all but wiped out from US$6 billion in February 2015.
The crisis for the company started that month after Mr Arnaud Vagner, a former employee, published reports anonymously under the name of Iceberg Research that accused Noble of inflating its assets. The upheaval triggered a share price collapse, credit downgrades, write-downs and asset sales.
Singapore mainboard-listed Noble has always stood by its accounts.
Under the debt-for-equity deal, the company's debt will be halved and it will get access to US$800 million in trade finance and hedging facilities, a lifeline in a sector where profit margins are in the low single digits.
In return, Noble will hand over 70 per cent of its restructured business to creditors, while existing shareholders' equity will be reduced to 20 per cent and its management will get 10 per cent.
The company's shareholders include sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp, Abu Dhabi-based fund Goldilocks Investment Co and Eastspring Investments, as well as more than 30,000 retail investors.
Mr Brough, a restructuring expert with more than 30 years of experience including the liquidation of Lehman Brothers' assets in Asia, said Noble would appoint a new chairman and board before the restructured company starts operations in two to three months.
Noble seeks to transform itself into an Asia-centric trader mainly dealing in coal, freight and liquefied natural gas. As part of its restructuring plan, the company has already moved its headquarters to London from Hong Kong.
Trading in Noble shares was halted earlier yesterday pending an announcement.
In its glory days, Noble employed hundreds of traders, with ambitions to rival competitors like Glencore, but it had to sell off prized assets, including its oil and gas units, to rivals Vitol and Mercuria.
Noble booked a US$4.9 billion loss last year, despite a broad commodity market recovery, and then defaulted on its debt in March.
Analysts say Noble still faces an uphill battle, with its losses widening to US$128 million during the April to June quarter, from US$72 million in the first quarter.
"There's no evidence so far that the business is turning around," said Mr Neel Gopalakrishnan, credit strategist at DBS Group. "Funding is the most important driver for this business and if a turnaround doesn't come, the company may find it difficult to retain funding lines."
REUTERS