Press Release: State of Wisconsin Selected for 2025 Bond Buyer of Deal of Year Innovative Financing Award

Madison, Wis. -  Today, DOA Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld announced that the State of Wisconsin’s Capital Finance Office was recognized with the 2025 Bond Buyer Deal of the Year award for Innovative Financing. The Bond Buyer Deal of the Year awards recognize innovation and development in municipal finance, including regional awards categories.

“Governor Evers’ financial stewardship has ensured that the State of Wisconsin remains a leader in this space, and we’re honored to be selected for the 2025 innovative financing award,” said DOA Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld. “I’m extremely proud of our team for continuing to pursue excellence in financial stewardship and securing over $30 million in savings for Wisconsin taxpayers.”

The State of Wisconsin, under the leadership of Governor Evers, continues its strong track record of financial stewardship, having once again received the highest recognition for financial reporting and reaching strong financial milestones. The Bond Buyer recognized Wisconsin for pioneering the municipal market’s first fixed-spread tender for tax-exempt bonds as part of this year’s $454.3 million general obligation refunding transaction, which generated approximately $30.2 million of present value debt service savings for the state. This new approach was effective at reducing exposure to interest-rate volatility for issuers and bondholders. The Bond Buyer’s editorial board considered a range of factors when judging entries, including creativity, the ability to pull a complex transaction together under challenging conditions, the ability to serve as a model for other financings, and the public purpose for which a deal’s proceeds were used.

The overall Bond Buyer Deal of the Year was announced on December 2. The DOA Capital Finance website has additional information on State of Wisconsin bond transactions and related disclosures.