What does the process of paying the amounts owed to bondholders for a bond issue refer to?

The process of paying the amounts owed to bondholders for a bond issue is referred to as redeeming bonds. When a company redeems bonds, it is repaying the principal amount of the bond to the bondholders, along with any final interest payments due. This action signifies the conclusion of the bond's life cycle within the company’s liabilities.

Retiring a bond issue is a related concept; it typically involves the removal of the bonds from the books after they have been paid off. However, the key action described in the question is specifically about the payment process to the bondholders, which is more accurately captured by the term "redeeming."

Issuing bonds pertains to the initial process of creating and selling bonds to investors, and refinancing bonds involves replacing existing debt with new debt, often under more favorable terms. While these terms are associated with bonds, they do not describe the act of providing payments to bondholders for money owed. Therefore, the identification of redeeming bonds as the answer emphasizes the connection between the bondholder payment process and the conclusion of the bond's obligation.