OREANDA-NEWS. Fitch Ratings on February 5, 2014 assigned OAO Belarus Development Bank (BDB) Long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) of 'B-' with Stable Outlook, the ratings agency said in a release.

BDB's ratings are underpinned by a high propensity of support from the government of the Republic of Belarus, if needed. However, Fitch's view of the fairly weak credit profile of the sovereign, and hence its ability to provide assistance, mean that support cannot be relied upon.

Fitch's view of the high propensity to support is based on the bank's 95% ownership by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, BDB's legally defined policy role of lending under state-directed programmes, and its close association with the Belarusian authorities. BDB's Board of Directors is chaired by the Belarusian Prime Minister and includes high-ranked officials, and major decisions affecting the bank are taken at governmental level. The dominant share of local currency funding (mostly bonds) in BDB's liabilities means that the authorities' ability to provide support should not be heavily dependent on the sovereign's external finances.

BDB's loan book is dominated by large and fairly high-risk loans issued under government programmes and taken over from other state banks as part of the government's strategy aimed at consolidating such loans within BDB. Most of these loans were issued at low rates to state-owned companies (92% of the largest 25 exposures at BDB), while the bank gets compensated by the Ministry of Finance for the interest expense it pays on market-rate funding.

BDB has its first international rating assigned by Standard & Poor's Ratings Services on September 4, 2013 - 'B-/B' long- and short-term foreign and local currency issuer credit ratings, outlook positive. The Development Bank became Belarus' first financial institution, whose long-term and short-term ratings were equated with Belarus' sovereign credit ratings.

The Development Bank was established on June 21, 2011 after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed ordinance #261 to create open joint-stock company Bank of Development of the Republic of Belarus.

The Development Bank is Belarus' agent bank to service and repay state loans and external loans attracted against a government security and extended to finance projects included in state programs.

In late 2013 the Development Bank of Belarus raised its statutory capital by 50% to Br8.5 trillion (USD 892.9 million at the NBB rate), in accordance with President Lukashenko's ordinance #576 of December 28, 2013.

The statutory capital of the bank increased at the expense of a Br2.8 trillion contribution (USD 294 million) made by the Finance Ministry of Belarus.

As result of this move the shareholding structure of the bank has changed. The government now holds a 94.518% stake (up from 91.8%) in the Development Bank of Belarus, while the share of OAO Belaruskali reduced from 8.17% to 5.465%, the National Bank of Belarus - down to 0.017% from 0.03%.