AfreximBank gets ‘AAA/Stable’ rating from China’s CCXI

Continental bank, African Export-Import Bank, has been assigned a ‘AAA/Stable’ rating by the China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd.

In a statement on Monday, it was indicated that Afreximbank is the first African Multilateral Financial Institution to receive an AAA rating from CCXI.

In its 2024 Credit Rating Report for African Export-Import Bank, CCXI noted that the rating considered, as key rating strengths, Afreximbank’s “very high strategic positioning; sound risk management system; agility and adaptability in business generation, very strong profitability and prudent liquidity management underpinned by a very high coverage ratio of current assets over short-term debts.

“CCXI recognises Afreximbank’s strategic relevance to the (African) continent and its ability to execute on its strategic goals and mandate and to meet the needs of member states at different stages of development, even during the most challenging times,” and expressed a believe that Afreximbank’s ratings would remain stable over the next 12 to 18 months.

Reacting to the rating announcement, Afreximbank’s Senior Executive Vice President, Denys Denya, affirmed that the rating represented the strongest endorsement the Bank had received from any credit rating agency and that the Bank had become one of the first African multilateral financial institutions to achieve a top credit rating grade in the Chinese market, especially on the strength of its stand-alone credit profile.

“This is, again, a testament to the Bank’s systemic relevance to the African continent; its strong delivery of its developmental mandate; its prudent risk management practices and its relentless focus on capital and liquidity over the years, which have culminated in a formidable rating that provides us with new opportunities to raise competitively priced capital in China and to diversify our funding partnerships,” he said.

Confirming that the bank would continue to play a pivotal role in facilitating China-Africa trade and investment across its member states, he highlighted the robust relationships it enjoys, which illustrates how integral it has become to the achievement of the African Union’s key strategic economic programmes and initiatives, covering the continent and the diaspora, thereby integrating Global Africa.

According to Denya, the rating puts Afreximbank on a stronger footing as it embarks on fundraising activities in a relatively new capital market.

He pointed out that the ‘AAA’ credit rating would give utmost assurance to the Bank’s new and existing funding partners in China to support the Bank’s fundraising activities on competitive terms and would position the Bank to pursue its developmental mandate and objectives.

Since 2019, Afreximbank has grown its assets by 28 per cent, achieved a return on average equity of 11 per cent and sustained its capital adequacy at 25.5 per cent, on average, with the growth supported by shareholders. It launched its largest general capital increase in 2021, targeting to raise $2.6bn by 2026, but achieved nearly 90 per cent of that target in three years in a remarkable demonstration of support from shareholders, despite volatile macroeconomic circumstances.

Afreximbank issued its highly successful inaugural Samurai bond issuance in 2024 and has said that it will be exploring opportunities to tap into the Chinese Panda bond market in 2025 to support and facilitate accelerated trade and investment between China and Africa and to expand its existing funding partnerships.