Credit Rating Agencies

Credit rating agencies provide assessments about the creditworthiness of bonds issued by corporations, governments by analysing financial positions of the issuer.

    • It gives information about debt payment capabilities of the issuer and related risk of default.
    • Based on the assessment by CRAs, coupon rates are decided by the issuer.
    • More is the risk; more is the coupon rate which is offered by the issuer.
    • In India, CRAs are regulated by SEBI.

Major Credit rating agencies in India

1. CRISIL

2. ICRA

3. India Rating

4. CARE

Global Credit Rating Agencies

Their credit ratings are important for global investors who want to invest in securities of some other countries.

They conduct a sovereign credit rating which is a measurement of a government’s ability to repay its debt, with a low rating indicating high credit risk.

Major Global Credit Rating Agencies

    • S&P (Standard and Poor’s)
    • Fitch
    • Moody’s

Does India deserve a sovereign credit rating upgrade?

India’s arguments

    • India has the lowest investment grade sovereign credit rating despite India being the 5th largest economy in nominal terms (till 2024).
    • India has never defaulted on principal or interest payment dues.
    • Most of India’s public debt is in domestic market which can be easily managed without any large exposure to exchange rate risk.
    • India is one of the youngest major economies with very high long-term growth rate potential. Thus, the economy needs cheaper credit to fuel investments in the economy.

 

Global Credit Agencies’ arguments

    • India has a very high public debt (more than 80% of GDP by 2024) which necessitates fiscal consolidation and moving away from populist spendings.
    • India can witness relatively unpredictable inflation in near-term.
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