KATHMANDU, JANUARY 26

ICRA Nepal has reaffirmed the issuer rating of [ICRANP- IR] AAA to Standard Chartered Bank Nepal Ltd (SCBNL). The rating is considered to have the highest degree of safety regarding the timely servicing of financial obligations.

Such issuers carry the lowest credit risk. This is the third year in a row that the bank has received the coveted rating. In the rationale statement, ICRA Nepal states, 'The rating reaffirmation factors in the bank's strong financial profile as reflected in robust capitalisation and a healthy asset quality despite the impact of COVID-19.

The bank reported a capital to risk weighted assets ratio of 16.09 per cent and tier-I of 14.46 per cent as of mid-October 2021, remaining much comfortable against minimum regulatory requirement of 11 per cent and seven per cent, respectively.'

A version of this article appears in the print on January 27, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.