Moody’s to buy minority stake in PhilRatings
Moody’s Corp. has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Philippine Rating Services Corp., expanding its presence in the country as demand for financing creates opportunities for the domestic bond market.
Manila, Philippines — Moody's Corporation has announced plans to acquire a minority stake in Philippine Rating Services Corp. (PhilRatings), a move that will bolster its presence in the Southeast Asian nation's growing bond market. In a statement, Moody's emphasized that this investment will make their Ratings division the first global credit rating agency to invest in a Philippine-based rating agency.
The deal's value and the exact size of the stake were not disclosed. PhilRatings, which is based in Manila, will maintain its independence post-acquisition, retaining its own management, governance, and credit rating processes. The corporation's acquisition of PhilRatings comes as the Philippines is actively seeking funding for infrastructure and other investments, with an estimated $100 billion in planned infrastructure projects over the next three years.
Moody's Managing Director and Regional Head for Asia Pacific, Wendy Cheong, highlighted the importance of a strong domestic debt market in supporting sustainable economic growth. PhilRatings has developed a deep understanding of the local market, and their ratings offer a valuable complement to Moody's global credit assessments for investors in the Philippines.
The company pointed out that domestic corporate bonds in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are more than twice the size of cross-border holdings, underscoring the potential of the Philippine bond market. Moody's President, Angelica Viloria, stated that the investment would provide PhilRatings with access to technical support and international practices while preserving the rating agency's independence in assigning ratings.
Viloria added that Moody's global standards, best practices, and technical support would help PhilRatings advance its mission to strengthen the credit market infrastructure in the Philippines. The acquisition is expected to expand Moody's network of affiliated domestic credit rating agencies across Asia-Pacific.
Written by urgent.news from Philippine Star Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
