Team Lead – IACT Award 2025 Finalist
Wiebke Foerstmann is a seasoned finance leader with deep expertise in corporate treasury and strategic financing. Since joining BASF in 2010, Wiebke has held roles across controlling, digital solutions, and treasury. Currently based in Dublin, Wiebke leads BASF Ireland’s treasury operations, overseeing intercompany lending, bond issuances, FX trading, and cash management across global markets.
She played a key role in BASF’s Panda Bond issuance in China and drives digitalization and strategic financing initiatives. Known for a collaborative and empowering leadership style, Wiebke fosters innovation and clarity in complex financial environments. In addition to her treasury responsibilities, Wiebke serves on the Board of Directors and acts as co-country lead for Ireland. She holds a Master’s degree from Rotterdam School of Management and a Bachelor’s from Passau University.
Project Overview
BASF is among the world’s largest chemical companies and one of the few with a manufacturing site in Ireland. Our ambition is to be the preferred chemical company enabling our customers’ green transformation. Dublin hosts BASF’s Ireland Financing Platform.
In 2024, BASF Ireland DAC made history as the first Irish issuer of a Panda bond in China’s interbank market, raising approximately EUR 250 million at a fixed 2.39% for three years. This landmark transaction was more than a financial milestone—it represented a bold step into China’s domestic capital market under BASF’s “Financing in China for China” strategy. The proceeds funded BASF’s Chinese subsidiaries, ensuring currency-congruent financing and advancing sustainable growth.
Executing this deal required a multi-faceted transformation, including converting financial statements from Irish GAAP to EU-IFRS and changing the company’s legal form. The project navigated complex regulatory landscapes across multiple jurisdictions, bringing together high-caliber teams from Ireland, Germany, and China, alongside leading legal and banking partners. Oversubscribed and cost-efficient, the bond achieved the lowest coupon ever by a global multinational in the Panda market at the time.
Building on this success, BASF Ireland DAC replicated the model in 2025 with a dual-tranche CNY 3 billion issuance, including BASF’s first 5-year CNY bond. These achievements deliver substantial financial benefits, set new standards for treasury innovation, and provide a blueprint for other Irish companies seeking to access international capital markets. This story reflects innovation, excellence, and the collaborative spirit that defines BASF Ireland DAC’s approach to international finance.