London, April 12, 2022 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has today confirmed the long-term ratings and assessments of 11 banks and one holding company in Kazakhstan: Halyk Savings Bank of Kazakhstan, Eurasian Bank, Bank CenterCredit, Kaspi Bank JSC, ForteBank JSC, First Heartland Securities, JSC, First Heartland Jusan Bank JSC, JSC Otbasy bank, Altyn Bank JSC, Bank RBK JSC and Development Bank of Kazakhstan (DBK). Moody's also affirmed the short-term ratings of 8 financial institutions. At the same time, Moody's changed the outlook to stable on the long-term ratings of the 11 entities.
This rating action concludes the review for downgrade initiated on 13 January 2022 for 10 Kazakhstan financial institutions, as well as the review for downgrade initiated on 18 January 2022 for DBK.
Please click on this link https://www.moodys.com/viewresearchdoc.aspx?docid=PBC_ARFTL464919 for the List of Affected Credit Ratings. This list is an integral part of this Press Release and identifies each affected issuer.
RATINGS RATIONALE
-- CONFIRMATION OF LONG-TERM RATINGS
The confirmation of the ratings for 11 financial institutions in Kazakhstan reflects Moody's assessment that the operating environment and the credit profiles of rated financial institutions will remain resilient to the increased social and political risks in the country, which is highlighted by the widespread social unrest and related state of emergency in January 2022. Moody's assessment reflects the short (though severe) nature of the unrest in January, which resulted in only limited operational losses and relatively contained disruption to the banks' operations and client bases. Moody's assessment also reflects the fact that the social unrest has not deteriorated the financial prospects of households and corporates in the country. Moody's regards social unrest as a key social risk consideration under its ESG framework.
The confirmation of the ratings also takes into account Moody's expectation that the operating environment and the banks' credit profiles will exhibit broad resilience against the potential challenges resulting from the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, including business disruption, tighter financing conditions, potential exchange rate volatility and higher inflation.
Moody's assessment reflects Kazakhstan banks' solid buffers, including strong capitalisation (systemwide tangible common equity to risk weighted assets were around 45.8% for rated banks as of September 2020), sound profitability and high and improving liquidity (systemwide liquid banking assets to tangible banking assets for rated banks were around 16.9% as of September 2020). In addition, the banks' loans loss reserves, combined with the modest size of loans as a proportion of total assets, will together help contain the impact of the potential weakening in asset quality.
The confirmation of DBK's ratings reflects the reduced uncertainty regarding external support probability for DBK channeled by the Government of Kazakhstan (Baa2 stable) through Baiterek National Management Holding, JSC. Moody's assessment of reduced uncertainty reflects the changes implemented by DBK (following comments from the country's leadership), including changes in the senior management of the company, as well as a reorientation of future lending growth towards private sector companies and industrialisation projects. Moody's will monitor the implementation and yet to be established track record of DBK's revised strategy under its changed leadership team which represents key governance risk consideration under the rating agency's ESG framework.
-- STABLE OUTLOOKS
The stable outlooks on the long-term ratings of Kazakhstan financial institutions reflects Moody's expectation that the banks' strong capitalisation, sound profitability and high liquidity will together balance the risks of weakening asset quality amid higher inflation and tighter financing conditions. The stable outlooks also capture the balanced risks to the operating environment, from (a) ongoing institutional and economic reforms, as well as (b) any protracted cuts to oil production, significant slowdown in the economic recovery or policy uncertainty stemming from political tensions.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
Upwards pressure on the ratings of Kazakhstan financial institutions could develop from a material improvement in asset quality and/or a significant reduction in funding concentrations.
Downward pressure on the ratings of Kazakhstan financial institutions could result from a significant deterioration of the banks' operating environment, and/or a significant weakening in their liquidity or capital buffers.
PRINCIPAL METHODOLOGY
The principal methodology used in rating Development Bank of Kazakhstan was Finance Companies Methodology published in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1187099. The principal methodology used in rating Halyk Savings Bank of Kazakhstan, Kaspi Bank JSC, ForteBank JSC, Bank CenterCredit, JSC Otbasy bank, Eurasian Bank, Bank RBK JSC, Altyn Bank JSC, First Heartland Securities, JSC and First Heartland Jusan Bank JSC was Banks Methodology published in July 2021 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1269625. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of these methodologies.
Moody's National Scale Credit Ratings (NSRs) are intended as relative measures of creditworthiness among debt issues and issuers within a country, enabling market participants to better differentiate relative risks. NSRs differ from Moody's global scale credit ratings in that they are not globally comparable with the full universe of Moody's rated entities, but only with NSRs for other rated debt issues and issuers within the same country. NSRs are designated by a ".nn" country modifier signifying the relevant country, as in ".za" for South Africa. For further information on Moody's approach to national scale credit ratings, please refer to Moody's Credit rating Methodology published in May 2016 entitled "Mapping National Scale Ratings from Global Scale Ratings". While NSRs have no inherent absolute meaning in terms of default risk or expected loss, a historical probability of default consistent with a given NSR can be inferred from the GSR to which it maps back at that particular point in time. For information on the historical default rates associated with different global scale rating categories over different investment horizons, please see https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1280297.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
The List of Affected Credit Ratings announced here are a mix of solicited and unsolicited credit ratings. For additional information, please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com. Additionally, the List of Affected Credit Ratings includes additional disclosures that vary with regard to some of the ratings. Please click on this link https://www.moodys.com/viewresearchdoc.aspx?docid=PBC_ARFTL464919 for the List of Affected Credit Ratings. This list is an integral part of this Press Release and provides, for each of the credit ratings covered, Moody's disclosures on the following items:
EU Endorsement Status
UK Endorsement Status
Rating Solicitation
Issuer Participation
Participation: Access to Management
Participation: Access to Internal Documents
Lead Analyst
Releasing Office
For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.
For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.
The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.
Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at http://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1288235.
At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.
Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.
Mik Kabeya
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service Ltd.
One Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London, E14 5FA
United Kingdom
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454
Yaroslav Sovgyra, CFA
Associate Managing Director
Financial Institutions Group
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service Ltd.
One Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London, E14 5FA
United Kingdom
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454