The government has criticised the ‘opaque methodologies’ used by the major global credit rating agencies to arrive at sovereign ratings.
Critique of Credit Rating Methodologies
Opaque Assessments: Finance Ministry criticizes credit agencies for opaque and discriminatory methodologies favoring developed economies.
Issues with Fitch Assessment: Highlighted concerns include reliance on foreign ownership, non-transparent expert selection, and unclear parameter weights.
Impact on Developing Economies: Critique suggests developing nations face challenges in earning credit upgrades due to subjective assessments and arbitrary indicators.
Significance of Sovereign Ratings
Creditworthiness Definition: Sovereign ratings indicate a government's creditworthiness, influencing global investors and determining borrowing costs.
Economic Implications: Lower ratings raise borrowing costs for governments and businesses, hindering economic growth and development.
Developing Country Dilemma: Developing nations, rich in resources but capital-poor, struggle with poor ratings limiting their ability to borrow effectively.
Government's Methodological Criticism
Subjectivity Concerns: Finance Ministry questions the reliance on qualitative overlays and subjective assessments in credit rating methodologies.
Weighting Issues: Criticism highlights lack of transparency in conveying assigned weights for parameters, hindering a clear understanding of the assessment process.
Governance Indicator Controversy: Government challenges the excessive reliance on the composite governance indicator, arguing for a fairer and objective assessment approach.