Agusto & Co Affirms BOI’s “Aaa” Rating

Agusto & Co. has affirmed the “Aaa” rating assigned to Bank of Industry Limited (BOI) and an ESG score of ‘2’ which connotes that environmental, social and governance issues have minimal contribution to the assigned credit rating.

The ‘Aaa’ rating, which was released yesterday and expires on September 30, 2023, reflects support from the key shareholders; the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (the investment vehicle of the Ministry of Finance) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

According to Agusto & Co, BoI’s  shareholders have reinforced the bank’s ability to refinance over the years by providing equity and financing support through government intervention Programmes.

“The shareholders also facilitate sovereign guarantees and provide currency hedges for BOI’s foreign currency borrowings. The rating assigned further takes into cognisance the Bank’s good capital base, good funding and liquidity profile and experienced management team.

“However, constraining these positive factors are Nigeria’s weak macroeconomic environment and the high vulnerability of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to headwinds,” it pointed out.

BOI is a development financial institution set up to provide credit facilities for the establishment of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The BOI also provides loans for the expansion, diversification, and modernisation of already-existing businesses.