Arab News, Sat, Jul 27, 2024 | Muharram 21, 1446
Moody’s affirms Islamic Development Bank’s AAA rating
Saudi Arabia:
Moody’s Investor Services has affirmed its AAA credit rating with a stable
outlook for the Islamic Development Bank, driven by the financial institution’s
robust asset performance.
In a press release, IsDB said that its short-term
issuer rating has been affirmed at Prime-1 by the US-based agency, the highest
tier on offer.
IsDB has been rated AAA by Moody’s since 2006, the
statement added.
According to the agency, obligations rated AAA are
judged to be of the highest quality and are subject to the lowest level of
credit risk, while Prime-1 denotes the best ability to repay short-term debts.
Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Jeddah, IsDB
is a multilateral development finance institution focused on Islamic finance for
infrastructure development.
“The affirmation reflects Moody’s expectation that
IsDB’s capital position and asset performance will remain robust, supported by
the strong liquidity and funding position, low funding costs, and the bank’s
preeminent position as one of few regular issuers of highly-rated benchmark-size
sukuk in the international capital markets,” said IsDB in the press statement.
The financial institution added that its strong
credit profile also benefits from the track record of member country support
demonstrated through a series of general capital increases.
IsDB also said that its leverage ratio is expected
to remain significantly below the median for AAA-rated multilateral development
banks, driven by such capital increases.
The institution currently has 57 members, with the
largest single shareholder being Saudi Arabia with 22.5 percent of the financial
institution’s total capital.
Libya and Indonesia follow, holding a capital of
9.03 percent and 7.04 percent, respectively.
Since its inception, IsDB has provided long-term
sustainable and ethical financing structures to its member nations to achieve
development and economic growth.
“IsDB remains committed to supporting its member
countries in achieving sustainable development and economic growth through these
strategic projects. These investments not only address immediate needs but also
lay the foundation for long-term resilience and prosperity,” according to its
website.
In June, IsDB allocated $165 million for the
construction and operationalization of green, resilient, and sustainable schools
in earthquake-affected and earthquake-prone areas in Turkiye.
In the same month, it also provided $156.3 million
to Turkmenistan to develop three oncology centers and training of health care
providers.
In June, IsDB also allocated $47.68 million to
Suriname to enhance the country’s power transmission and distribution network.