State may take over RÚV bond as ad revenues face cut

The Icelandic state may take over a bond held by RÚV, the national broadcaster, under a proposal in the 2027 budget, mbl.is reports.

The bond was issued to settle pension obligations in Division B of the Pension Fund for State Employees. Its principal is about 4 billion Icelandic krónur, with estimated annual payments of around 285 million krónur, including indexation.

The information appears on the Icelandic government’s website in a section on the finance and economic affairs minister’s authorisations linked to the budget bill. It says the authorisation is new.

The possible transfer is connected to a planned bill amending the law on RÚV. Under the proposal, the broadcaster’s advertising revenue would be reduced by an amount comparable to the bond’s annual debt payments.