OREANDA-NEWS. Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said today that it assigned its 'B/B' long- and short-term counterparty credit ratings to Kazakhstan-based KazInvestBank (KIB). At the same time, it assigned its 'kzBB+' Kazakhstan national scale rating to the bank. The outlook is stable.

"The ratings on KazInvestBank are constrained by its modest domestic franchise with a short track record of operations, rapid loan growth, high concentration on both sides of the balance sheet, low financial flexibility, and low profitability," said Standard & Poor's credit analyst Annette Ess.

Supportive rating factors are its niche strategy, which is focused on profitability versus market share, its strong management team, better developed risk management than at other local banks, and transparent and supportive shareholders.