Sharjah, UAE, 20 May 2022: Bank of Sharjah PJSC (Abu
Dhabi SE: BOS) (the “Bank” or the “Group”), one of the
leading corporate banks in the UAE, today announced that Fitch, the New York
and London-headquartered global ratings agency, has affirmed the bank’s ‘BBB+’
rating.
For the second consecutive year, Fitch has assigned Bank of Sharjah a
Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of ‘BBB+’ with a stable outlook.
BOS is well established in the UAE, particularly in Sharjah, and enjoys a
strong market position. Its franchise is supported by access to Sharjah-government
businesses and projects, as well as various community businesses operating in
the UAE.
BOS benefits from a stable and moderately concentrated base of customer
deposits, which account for the bulk of funding. This is supplemented by senior
unsecured issues, which provide good access to capital markets when needed.
BOS’s liquidity is healthy with net liquid assets covering 26% of total
customer deposits at the end of Q3 2021.
Commenting on this rating, Varouj Nerguizian, Group CEO
said: “The affirmation of our ratings
underlines Bank of Sharjah’s position as a leader in providing quality services
to our customers. The Bank’s success depends on the confidence of our
shareholders, customers, and employees. Bank of Sharjah has survived the various
financial crises of recent years relatively unscathed. This is a testament to
the active involvement of the Bank’s board, management and underlying good
governance.”