Ratings Advisory & Risk Management
SCIC specializes in developing internal credit risk assessment systems and economic capital models, helping protect existing credit ratings, obtaining initial credit ratings, evaluating internal risk management methodologies and processes, and establishing / advising credit rating agencies.
The benefits that SCIC can provide as an Independent Rating Advisor are significant. Rating advice is often provided at low or no cost by investment and commercial banks seeking bond issuance or loan underwriting mandates. In contrast, SCIC provides rating advice based on broader and deeper rating agency experience without conflicts of interest, aiming solely at achieving the best sustainable rating for its clients.
SCIC has uniquely helped three African supranationals achieve investment grade ratings: Africa Finance Corporation, Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement and East African Development Bank. They are now among the top ten rated African credits.
SCIC’s financial institution clients have also included Access Bank (Nigeria), African Development Bank, Africa Finance Corporation, Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement (BOAD), Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Ecobank Transnational Inc. (ETI), Inter-American Development Bank, Nordic Investment Bank, OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), African Reinsurance Corporation, Kommualbanken AS (Norway), Oesterreichische Kontrollbank, AG (Austria), Swedish Export Credit, Banco Finantia (Portugal), several other European universal banks, the former BRC Investor Services (Colombia) now owned by S&P, and TurkRating.
Capital Markets
SCIC works with its clients to develop strategies to access both debt capital and private equity markets. Our core strengths are due diligence and transaction structuring, credit enhancement, and debt restructurings. Clients have included Bank of Uganda, Central Bank of the Bahamas, East African Development Bank, Nordic Investment Bank, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and the Government of Quebec. The SCIC team has also made or enabled direct investments in key local capital market entities such as credit rating agencies, and non-bank finance companies (e.g., HDFC Credila, an Indian non-bank finance company making loans to Indian students for graduate study both in India and abroad).
Structured Finance
Building on the pioneering experiences of its key team members in the development of structured finance, SCIC specializes in credit underwriting, product development, due diligence, credit risk management, pricing models, credit enhancement, funding vehicles and financing instruments related to existing and new structured finance products. Clients have included a wide range of public sector, private sector, and multilateral developmental institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Baytree National Bank (US), Sterling Bank (US), Caisse des Dépôts & Consignations (France), Dexia (France), DEG (Germany), Finex (Philippines), FMO (Netherlands), ICICI (India), Inter-American Development Bank, Thailand's Ministry of Finance and financial regulator as well as its Secondary Mortgage Corp., UBS (US), the World Bank, several European private sector financial institutions, and regulatory bodies such as CVM (the securities regulator in Brazil), etc.