15 February 2023

EMEA Non-Bank Financial Institutions’ Refi Risk Is Modest in 2023

Refinancing risk for most EMEA non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) amid rising interest rates is modest in 2023 due to limited debt maturities, generally sound liquidity and often cash-generative business models, Fitch Ratings says. However, debt maturities in 2024 and beyond are larger and an inability...

14 December 2022

Politics and Economics May Slow but Not Halt ESG Momentum in 2023

Challenging macroeconomic conditions, geopolitical tensions and political polarisation are contributing to increased short-term scepticism about the importance of ESG considerations by corporations, investors and governments, but the long-term outlook for sustainable finance remains solid, Sustainable Fitch...

8 December 2022

Global MMF 2023 Sector Outlook Is Deteriorating

Fitch Ratings' 2023 sector outlook for global money market funds (MMFs) is deteriorating, reflecting Fitch’s expectations for deterioration in some key banking sector outlooks, continued market volatility and potential considerable flow and asset under management (AUM) dynamics. Evolving global regulation...

21 September 2022

Sustainable Fitch Launches ESG Ratings Product for Investors

Sustainable Fitch has launched its ESG Ratings product for investors. ESG Ratings, Data & Analysis offers granular and transparent ESG ratings and sub-scores at an entity, framework and instrument level. ESG ratings are provided on an absolute and fully cross-comparable rating scale, with qualitative...

7 September 2022

Sustainable Fitch Launches Leveraged Finance ESG Scores

Sustainable Fitch has announced the launch of its ESG Scores for Leveraged Finance. The ESG scores provide the CLO investment community with an absolute scoring system which allows granular assessment of environmental, social and governance factors for leveraged finance entities and labelled...

10 March 2022

European Money Market Funds’ ESG Adoption Continues to Rise

London: Fitch Ratings estimates that assets under management (AUM) in money market funds (MMFs) classified under Article 8 (A8) of Europe’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) reached EUR600 billion at end-2021, or 39% of total European MMF AUM, up from 36% at end-3Q21.

Fitch is aware of...

15 February 2022

Decentralised Finance May Divide into Regulated and Unregulated

London: Decentralised finance (DeFI) could divide into regulated and unregulated segments as regulators increase their focus on the sector’s risk profile, Fitch Ratings says in a new report. We expect many providers to submit to regulation to support their market credibility, but some may look to operate...

11 February 2022

European Short-Term Bond Funds Increasingly Consider ESG

London: A recent Fitch Ratings study found that, at end-2021, over a third of European short-term bond funds (STBFs) considered environmental or social aspects, among other characteristics, when making investment decisions. Such funds are classified under Article 8 of the EU Sustainable Finance...

15 December 2021

Global MMF 2022 Sector Outlook Neutral on Stable Environment

Fitch Ratings' 2022 sector outlook for global money market funds (MMFs) is neutral, reflecting expectations for a stabilising credit environment, modestly rising interest rates in major developed economies and manageable flow and asset under management (AUM) dynamics. Evolving MMF regulation brings...

1 October 2021

Fitch Ratings Publishes Stablecoin Dashboard

London - Fitch Ratings believes that stablecoins will become increasingly relevant constituencies in the short-term credit markets. The market capitalisation of stablecoins has increased rapidly, and the security portfolios of stablecoins are typically invested in short-term securities such as commercial...

7 July 2021

European Traditional Investment Managers Increase Focus on ESG

European traditional investment managers (IMs) are increasingly focusing on the investment impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors, particularly environmental sustainability, Fitch Ratings says in a new report.The process has accelerated, helped by the EU’s Sustainable Finance...

18 May 2021

Central Bank Digital Currencies May Disrupt Financial Systems

Hong Kong/London: The broader adoption of general-purpose central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) will present authorities with trade-offs between the associated risks and benefits, says Fitch Ratings.

The key benefits of retail CBDCs lie in their potential to enhance authority-backed cashless payments...