Link to Fitch Ratings' Report: 2017 Outlook: CIS and Georgian Banks

Fitch Ratings-Moscow/London-09 December 2016: Sector outlooks for CIS and Georgian banks for 2017 are diverging, reflecting how far recent recessions and currency devaluations will continue to affect lender performance, Fitch Ratings says.

Fitch Ratings-Moscow/London-05 December 2016: Fitch Ratings has affirmed Kazakhstan-based JSC National Atomic Company Kazatomprom's Long-Term Foreign Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BBB-' with Stable Outlook and its Short-term IDR at 'F3'.

Link to Fitch Ratings' Report: Kazakh Banks Datawatch 3Q16

Fitch Ratings-Moscow/London-05 December 2016: Fitch Ratings has published its Kazakh Banks Datawatch report for 3Q16, consisting of key data from banks' regulatory financial statements and disclosures sourced primarily from the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) and the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange. The 3Q16 report consists of data in pdf and xlsx formats, charts and Fitch commentary, and covers 28 of the sector's 34 banks, comprising 99% of system assets.

The resumption of oil production at the Kashagan oil field is positive for Kazakhstan's credit profile and should more than offset declining production at other sites, Fitch Ratings says. However, it will be a challenge for partners to recover their investment in the project under our oil price projections, making an expansion of the project unlikely given other risks.

Paris, France, August 22, 2016—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is providing French-based originator and processor of grains, the Soufflet Group, with a €30 million loan to support the group’s long-term investment program and boost agri-business in Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine.

Fitch Ratings-Moscow/London-07 July 2016: Fitch Ratings says that the Tengizchevroil (TCO) expansion announced by Chevron Corp. on 5 July 2016 will result in a lower dividend stream to the Kazakh state-owned National Company KazMunayGas (NC KMG, BBB-/Stable), which owns a 20% stake in TCO, over the medium term. We have already incorporated this scenario in our rating case for NC KMG.

Link to Fitch Ratings' Report: Kazakh Banks Datawatch 1Q16

Fitch Ratings-Moscow-19 May 2016: Fitch Ratings has published "Kazakh Banks Datawatch 1Q16", consisting of key data from banks' regulatory financial statements and disclosures sourced primarily from the National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) and Kazakhstan Stock Exchange. The 1Q16 report consists of data in pdf and Excel formats, charts and Fitch commentary, and covers 27 of the sector's 35 banks, comprising 99% of the system assets.

Fitch Ratings has downgraded Development Bank of Kazakhstan's (DBK) Long-Term Foreign and Local Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) to 'BBB-' from 'BBB' and 'BBB+', respectively, and House Construction and Savings Bank of Kazakhstan's (HSCBK) Long-Term Local Currency IDR to 'BBB-' from 'BBB+'. The agency has also downgraded the Long-Term IDRs of KazAgroFinance (KAF) to 'BB+' from 'BBB-'. The Outlooks are Stable. A full list of rating actions is available at the end of this commentary.

Fifty-one EITI countries have committed to ground breaking beneficial ownership reporting.

Oslo / London, 11 May 2016.

"EITI members are showing leadership on beneficial ownership disclosure" says EITI Chair Fredrik Reinfeldt on the eve of the anti-corruption Summit in London.

Link to Fitch Ratings' Report: Kazakhstan Utilities 2016 Outlook: Increasing Negativity

The National Bank of Kazakhstan has decided to keep the base rate unchanged at 17% with a symmetric interest rate corridor of +/- 2 percentage points.

Fitch Ratings-Moscow-29 February 2016: Fitch Ratings says in a new report that the ratings of Kazakh National Holding companies are under long-term pressure from planned sale of key assets and a devalued tenge. 

LIMA -The President of Peru Ollanta Humala will open the 7th EITI Global Conference on Wednesday 24 February. Peru was the first country in Latin America to commit to improving oil and mining transparency through implementing the EITI. It is now the first Latin American country to host the EITI Global Conference.