• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

2

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

3

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history

1

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

2

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

3

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
FinanceCoca-Cola
Europe

Coca-Cola is going reverse Yankee by selling €1 billion of Euro debt to cover a potential tax charge

Prarthana Prakash
By
Prarthana Prakash
Prarthana Prakash
Europe Business News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
Prarthana Prakash
By
Prarthana Prakash
Prarthana Prakash
Europe Business News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 9, 2024, 7:04 AM ET
Young woman drinking a can of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is going the "reverse Yankee" way. NUTAN/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Coca-Cola is a behemoth in every right. That means big profits and financial implications with a multi-billion-dollar price tag.

Recommended Video

The company, which sells its eponymous drink pretty much in every part of the world, has been in a long-drawn dispute with tax authorities in the U.S. over a $16 billion charge that it could possibly owe. 

While the full amount hasn’t come due yet, Coca-Cola is preparing for the possible cost by selling €1 billion in new debt, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

The beverage company said last week that it’s preparing to pay $6 billion over unpaid taxes and interest about 15 years ago following a U.S. tax court ruling. 

Coca-Cola plans to issue two €500 million bonds and apply the proceeds to “potential payments” in its dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). 

The company’s “reverse Yankee” move, wherein U.S.-based companies raise money in Euro or Sterling bond markets, has become more common among companies looking for debt financing avenues. It allows American companies to take advantage of central bank monetary policies in different regions. It could also be a useful tool if they have sprawling European operations and need financial in the local currency.

In recent years, bike company Harley Davidson and consumer giant Colgate-Palmolive have resorted to the reverse Yankee route. Earlier this year, Johnson & Johnson opted for this method to raise €2.5 billion by tapping on lower borrowing costs in Europe.

This form of bond issuance saw a major spike in 2019 when the European Central Bank’s stimulus push impacted bond yields in Europe. By May, roughly €30 billion had been raised in EU bonds by U.S.-based companies, according to Bank of America research. 

This bodes well for Europe as investors in the region can be exposed to American companies without undertaking the U.S. dollar debt’s risk, according to investment firm T.Rowe Price. 

Coca-Cola raised €1 billion in Euro bonds earlier this year, along with $3 billion in U.S. dollar bonds, which were intended to finance a deal and help offset the IRS case charges.   

The U.S. court judgment found that the Atlanta, Georgia-based had made “astronomical levels” of profits by operating in low-tax countries and keeping that away from the eyes of U.S. authorities. That has resulted in a potential $16 billion liability as Coca-Cola has manufacturing locations worldwide and is enough to nullify a year and a half’s profits at the soft drinks giant. 

Coca-Cola plans to appeal the court’s decision. 

Representatives at the company didn’t immediately return Fortune’s request for comment.

About the Author
Prarthana Prakash
By Prarthana PrakashEurope Business News Reporter
LinkedIn icon

Prarthana Prakash was a Europe business reporter at Fortune.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

ibm
Big TechIBM
‘We did not adapt and move quickly enough’: IBM CEO’s admission of weakness fails to prevent historic 25% stock crash
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 15, 2026
2 hours ago
usa
AIearnings
Why IBM just suffered its worst stock crash of all time—and what it says about the market’s two bubbles
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 15, 2026
3 hours ago
mike
Politicsnational debt
GOP’s $95 billion war-and-voting bill adds no offsets to $2 trillion deficit
By Kevin Freking, Lisa Mascaro and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
3 hours ago
warren
North Americaphilanthropy
Warren Buffett on Bill Gates’ ‘distasteful’ friendship with Jeffrey Epstein: ‘No one bats a thousand in the business of choosing people’
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
4 hours ago
It’s now cheaper to buy a new home than a used one, thanks to builder incentives and baby boomers who don’t want to sell on the low
Real Estatehomebuying
It’s now cheaper to buy a new home than a used one, thanks to builder incentives and baby boomers who don’t want to sell on the low
By Catherina GioinoJuly 15, 2026
6 hours ago
nyc
North AmericaEconomics
Mamdani’s $50 World Cup jersey stunt proves some of the oldest criticisms of socialism correct: ‘The odds are extremely stacked against you’
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 15, 2026
7 hours ago

Most Popular

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
Law
26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
By Barbara Ortutay, Alexandra Olson and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
10 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
Newsletters
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
By Sydney LakeJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
North America
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
Jamie Dimon understands why people are anti-rich: 'We have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind' and 'that's kind of annoying'
Economy
Jamie Dimon understands why people are anti-rich: 'We have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind' and 'that's kind of annoying'
By Eleanor PringleJuly 15, 2026
12 hours ago
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
Innovation
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 15, 2026
11 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 15, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our and Privacy Policy |  | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.