THROUGHOUT THE MINI-MELTDOWN of Kazakhstan’s banking sector, just one institution has escaped largely unscathed. Halyk Bank has thrived while others, notably local rivals BTA and Kazkommertsbank, have faltered over the past year. Halyk’s shares have slipped recently – thanks in part to underwhelming first-quarter 2008 earnings in a troubled market – but it remains a favourite among analysts, with buy ratings from Kazakhstan’s Visor Capital and Moscow’s Renaissance Capital. Halyk is still the only local lender to have issued a Eurobond this year: its $500 million, five-and-a-half-year issuance in April 2008 was the first such offering in nine months, and the only Kazakh-overseas debt sale this year.
Access this research
Enter your work email address to sign in or check whether your organisation already has access to Euromoney.