Thursday 3 March 2016

Fitch downgrades SriLankan Bonds to ‘B+’

Fitch Ratings has downgraded the rating on SriLankan Airlines’s US dollar-denominated government-guaranteed bonds to ‘B+’ from ‘BB-’.

This follows the downgrade of Sri Lanka’s Long-Term Foreign and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings to ‘B+’ with a Negative Outlook. The national carrier’s bonds are rated at the same level as SLA’s parent, the state of Sri Lanka, due to the unconditional and irrevocable guarantee provided by the state.

The Sri Lankan sovereign faces increased refinancing risks on account of high upcoming external debt maturities amid the country’s vulnerability to a shift in investor sentiment. Furthermore, the sovereign’s external liquidity position remains strained, reflecting pressure on foreign-exchange reserves.The recent downgrade also reflects deteriorating public finances driven partly by consistently low general government revenues.
www.dailynews.lk

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