Moody's confirms CABEI's international credit rating at "Aa3”, with a stable outlook
Tegucigalpa, August 12, 2021 - Moody's Investors Service confirmed the long-term international risk rating of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) at "Aa3", with a stable outlook.
According to the official statement issued by the rating agency, the confirmation is the result of the Bank's solid financial results, the continued and evident support from its partners, and solid access to capital markets. Moody's also highlighted the Bank's high levels of capitalization and ample liquidity as the pillars of the Institution's intrinsic financial strength, which, in turn, led to an improvement in CABEI's rating range from "Aa2-A1" to "Aa1-Aa3" according to the evaluation criteria applied by the rating agency.
Moody's also highlighted the high credit quality of the Institution's portfolio, as a result of the high value of CABEI's franchise and its status as the most preferred creditor. In this line, Moody's highlighted the implementation of the VIII Authorized Capital Increase, which represented a 40% increase in Authorized Capital, from US$5,000.0 million to US$7,000.0 million, undoubtedly evidencing the solid and continuous support of the partners. The rating agency also emphasized the importance of the incorporation of the Republic of Korea to CABEI, highlighting its relevant participation in the shareholding structure of the Institution.
CABEI Executive President, Dr. Dante Mossi, indicated that "the CABEI capitalization process that was formalized by the member countries represents a historic achievement considering the economic stress that the countries of the region are facing under the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and allows us to consolidate our position as the main source of multilateral financing for the Central American region."
In addition, Moody's highlighted the Bank's support measures for its member countries in response to their needs in the face of the crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the natural disasters that affected the region, which led to record amounts of resources approved and disbursed to the countries. In this context, the rating agency highlighted the high credit quality of CABEI's loan portfolio, which, even in the midst of the pandemic, has continued to show optimal levels.
Dr. Mossi also stated that "this ratification of the bank's rating by Moody's validates our credentials as the financial institution with the best credit rating in all of Latin America with solid financial indicators and with the demonstrated support of our partners; there is no doubt that the bank is prepared and positioned to continue assuming its leadership role in the region in support through technical assistance and financing to countries in high-impact initiatives."
"We will continue to showcase the potential investment opportunities in the Central American region, the fourth largest economy in Latin America, and the incorporation of new extra-regional partners will continue to be one of our fundamental strategic objectives to further strengthen the bank and its role, maintaining our financial and credit indicators within optimal ranges," concluded Mossi.
