Manila  - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Tuesday it raised close to 1.2 billion dollars as it returned to the US dollar bond market with a 3-year global bond issue.

The Manila-based ADB said about 47 per cent of the bonds were placed in Europe, Middle East and Africa, 36 per cent in Asia and 17 per cent in the Americas.

ADB said 58 per cent of the bonds were bought by central banks, 24 per cent by funds, asset managers and insurance, and 18 per cent by banks.

"We are very satisfied with the transaction and the swift book-building process, particularly amidst a challenging market backdrop," ADB treasurer Mikio Kashiwagi said.

"There was healthy demand from high-quality investors, resulting in oversubscribed book close to 1.2 billion dollars," he added.

The transaction was lead-managed by Daiwa SMBC, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and UBS.

A syndicate group was also formed consisting of BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Dresdner, HSBC, Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, Nomura and RBC Capital Markets. (dpa)