A coupon rate can best be described as the sum, or yield, paid on the face value of the bond annual over its lifetime. So, for example, if you had a 10-year bond with a value of $1,000 and a coupon rate of 10 percent, the purchaser of the bond would receive $100 each year in interest. A zero-coupon bond is a bond without coupons, and its coupon rate is 0%. The issuer only pays an amount equal to the face value of the bond at the maturity date. Instead of paying interest, the issuer sells the bond at a price less than the face value at any time before the maturity date. Bonds with low coupon rates will have higher interest rate risk than bonds that have higher coupon rates For example, consider a bond with a coupon rate of 2% and another bond with a coupon rate of 4%.