OREANDA-NEWS. May 28, 2009. International Rating Agency Moody's Investors Service downgraded an issuer and debt ratings of Astana-finance to "Ca" from "B3", reported the press-centre of KASE.

Downgrade was caused by the announcement of the company suspension of payments on its public debts.

Moody's previous rating action on Astana-finance was implemented on 24 February 2009 when its local and foreign currency debt ratings were downgraded to B3 from Ba1 with all the bank ratings carried a negative outlook.

Below is the original text of Moody's in English.

Moody's downgrades Astana Finance (Kazakhstan) to Ca from B3

/Moody's Investors Service, Moscow, May 21, 09/ - Moody's Investors Service today downgraded the long-term issuer and debt ratings of Astana Finance to Ca from B3. The ratings have been placed on review for further possible downgrade.

Moody's explains that the multi-notch downgrade was triggered by the announcement of the company suspension of payments on its public debts. Under Moody's rating methodology for government-related issuers (GRIs), this default has resulted in the lowering of Astana Finance's baseline credit assessment (BCA) and in the removal of the uplift that had previously been incorporated into the ratings to reflect Moody's revised view of the probability of external support.

Moody's has lowered Astana Finance 's BCA to 20 from 17 (on a scale of 1 to 21, where 1 represents the lowest credit risk). Furthermore, as the company has not benefited from any form of government support to date, Moody's has revised its assessment of the government support incorporated into Astana Finance's debt and issuer ratings from 'low' to 'none', thus removing the previous one-notch uplift. The company's current issuer and debt ratings are therefore now at the same level as the new BCA.

"Astana Finance committed a breach of covenants on its liabilities that triggered accelerated repayment of its debts. The company's liquidity profile was not in a position to absorb the accelerated debt claims of its creditors, thus leading to a distressed liquidity profile," says Semyon Isakov, a Moody's Moscow-based analyst for Astana Finance.

Moody's also expects that the distressed operating environment will result in a substantial erosion of the company's capital base primarily deriving from its historically high foreign exchange risk appetite together with the recent local currency devaluation, high exposure to the distressed construction and real estate sectors and an overall ongoing impairment of the company's assets.

Moody's previous rating action on Astana Finance was implemented on 24 February 2009 when its local and foreign currency debt ratings were downgraded to B3 from Ba1 (and the BCA was lowered to 17 from 14). All the ratings carried a negative outlook.

The principal methodology used in rating Astana Finance is "Revised Methodology for Government Related Non-Bank Financial Institutions", which can be found at www.moodys.com in the Credit Policy & Methodologies directory, in the Ratings Methodologies sub-directory. Other methodologies and factors that may have been considered in the process of rating the company can also be found in the Credit Policy & Methodologies directory.

Astana Finance (Kazakhstan) is headquartered in Astana and reported total assets of US2.505 billion and total equity of US318.0 million, according to the company's unaudited consolidated statements as of the end of Q3 2008.