Fitch Ratings is one of the leading international credit rating agencies. It is dedicated to providing rating services for global credit markets. The research carried out by the agency is aimed at delivering independent credit opinion, comprehensive research and commentary on world’s credit markets. Fitch Ratings has over 50 offices all over the world. Its analysts are top-rated and shrewd professionals who have solid analytical skills and are clued-up about local markets’ peculiarities. The analysis covers capital markets of over 150 sovereigns. Investors, issuing bodies and banks recognize Fitch Ratings as reliable and transparent agency providing state-of-the-art analytical products.

Fitch deals with various issuers worldwide and assigns international and national credit ratings to banks, financial institutions, insurance companies, corporate sector, sovereigns as well as regional and local governments. Fitch also classifies the issues of debt instruments with fixed income and structured finance transactions.

In 2006, Fitch Ratings launched Derivative Fitch, a wholly owned subsidiary devoted to the credit derivatives market. It is focused on researching, assessing, and assigning ratings to credit derivatives.

Fitch Ratings’ credit rating scale:

• AAA: Highest credit quality
• AA: Very high credit quality
• A: High credit quality
• BBB: Good credit quality
• BB: Speculative
• B: Highly speculative
• CCC: Substantial credit risk
• CC: Very high levels of credit risk
• C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk
• D: Default