ADB Supporting Development of Securitization Markets in Kazahkhstan

ADB is providing a $100 million credit guarantee to securitize the diversified payment rights of JSC Kazkommertsbank, one of Kazakhstan’s largest commercial banks.

The diversified payment rights arise as a result of JSC Kazkommertsbank’s role as financial intermediary between foreign payors that send funds to JSC Kazkommertsbank’s clients in Kazahkstan and involve transactions such as export related payments, foreign direct investments, personal or workers’ remittances.

The $100 million ADB credit guarantee is part of a $500 million total diversified payments rights securitization package being offered in partnership with two other guarantors, MBIA Insurance Corporation and Financial Guarantee and Insurance Corporation. The deal will be one of the largest of its kind done worldwide.

Although the concept of diversified payment rights securitization is not entirely new to Kazakhstan, there have been few issues so far. The credit guarantee from ADB is expected to facilitate the development of a full-scale securitization market in Kazakhstan, and to have spillover effects elsewhere in the region.

“Securitization is an important means to raise financing for many low and middle income countries, especially during times of low liquidity and heightened perception of sovereign risk,” William Willms, Principal Investment Specialist, says. “Such securities reduce the sovereign-related risks and thereby lower the cost of funding.”

In addition to developing the securitization market, ADB aims to help JSC Kazkommertsbank diversify its funding sources and boost its lending to struggling small and medium sized enterprises in Kazakhstan’s oil export-dependent economy.