Thursday 24 December 2009

Dubai World Exposure to Weigh on Banks in 2010

Dubai's debt crisis will continue to hang over the earnings and credit quality of banks in 2010, Standard & Poor's said in a report on the global outlook for global credit markets.

"Indeed, the fallout from Dubai World's Nov. 25 announcement that it has requested a six-month moratorium on its $26 billion debt payments—subsequently diminished by news of a bailout by Abu Dhabi—illustrated amply the fears of further bank balance-sheet impairment," the ratings agency said in the report.

More than 90 creditors are in talks with Dubai World, once a crown jewel in the business empire of Dubai's ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to reach an agreement on a formal debt standstill for the conglomerate, which has almost $60 billion of total liabilities. Negotiations are expected to be slow.

"This serves as a continued reminder that the impact from deflating property prices globally has yet to fully run its course," S&P added.

Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the seven-member United Arab Emirates, pumped $10 billion into Dubai's financial support fund last week by buying its bonds. Part of the money is being used to pay off holders of a $3.52 billion Islamic bond issued by Dubai World's real-estate unit Nakheel, known as the developer of three palm-shaped islands..

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