Credit rating |

Moody’s downgrades Gabon’s rating to B3, outlook negative

LIBREVILLE (Capital Markets in Africa) – Moody’s Investors Service has today downgraded the long-term issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings of the government of Gabon to B3 from B1 and maintained the negative outlook. Concurrently, Moody’s has lowered the government of Gabon’s local currency as well as foreign currency bond and deposit ceilings to Ba3 from Ba1. The rating downgrade drove the change in ceilings. Rating Rationale The key drivers behind the downgrade to B3…

Moody’s assigns first-time ratings to Union Bank of Nigeria Plc

Posted on by The Editorial Team

London (Capital Markets in Africa) – Moody’s Investors Service has today assigned first-time ratings to Union Bank of Nigeria plc (Union Bank): long- and short-term Local and Foreign Currency Deposit and Issuer Ratings of B2/Not Prime, and a b3 Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA). Moody’s also assigned long- and short-term Counterparty Risk (CR) Assessment of B1(cr)/Not Prime(cr), long- and short-term National Scale Local Currency Ratings of Aa3.ng/NG-1, and long- and short-term National Scale Foreign Currency Ratings…

Fitch: Redenomination Risk and Sovereign Rating Implications

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LONDON (Capital Markets in Africa) – Fitch Ratings says that it is not always possible to say categorically that a sovereign debt redenomination into a different currency would be a default, under Fitch’s sovereign rating criteria. The agency would assess such an event on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant information at the time. In response to recent investor enquiries, in a new report Fitch sets out some potential scenarios involving redenomination of…

South Africa’s credit rating downgraded to junk by S&P after finmin changed

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – S&P Global Ratings downgraded South Africa’s sovereign credit rating to BB+ from BBB- grade on Monday, saying the recent firing of its internationally respected finance minister posed a risk fiscal policy. The rand fell by as much 2 percent to the dollar in response to the news of the downgrade, while government bonds also weakened sharply. “The downgrade reflects our view that the divisions in the ANC-led government that…

Zambia Ratings Affirmed by Fitch; Outlook Negative

Posted on by The Editorial Team

LUSAKA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Fitch Ratings has affirmed Zambia’s Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at ‘B’ with Negative Outlook. The issue ratings on Zambia’s long-term senior unsecured foreign- and local-currency bonds and short-term senior unsecured local-currency securities are also affirmed at ‘B’. The Country Ceiling is affirmed at ‘B+’ and the Short-Term Foreign and Local Currency IDRs at ‘B’. Zambia’s ‘B’ IDRs reflect a combination of the country’s persistent fiscal…

Carlyle to become largest shareholder in South Africa’s Global Credit Ratings

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Carlyle Group has agreed to become the largest shareholder in Johannesburg-based Global Credit Ratings (GCR), the U.S. buyout fund said on Tuesday, looking to broaden the pan-African ratings agency’s services. Terms of the deal, which was first reported by the Financial Times, were not disclosed. Carlyle is set to buy around half of the equity in GCR from its management founders and German development finance business DEG, which will remain…

Fitch keeps S.Africa’s investment-grade rating but cuts outlook to negative

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Ratings agency Fitch affirmed South Africa’s investment-grade credit rating at one notch above ‘junk’ on Friday but changed its outlook to negative from stable, warning that political risks could hurt growth. With the economy expected to grow by only half a percent this year, South Africa has been racing to avert a downgrade of its sovereign debt to sub-investment status, which would raise its borrowing costs and deter investment. Africa’s…

1 2 3 »