MARC has affirmed the ratings of AA-IS and AIS on funding vehicle Alpha Circle Sdn Bhd’s (Alpha Circle) RM540 million Senior Sukuk Musharakah (Senior Sukuk) and RM55 million Junior Sukuk Musharakah (Junior Sukuk) respectively under a Sukuk Musharakah programme. The ratings carry a stable outlook. The two-notch rating differential between the Senior Sukuk and the Junior Sukuk reflects the la...

MARC has downgraded the long-term ratings of Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd’s (Tesco Malaysia) RM3.5 billion Conventional and Islamic Medium-Term Notes Programmes to AA(cg) and AAID(cg) from AA+(cg) and AA+ID(cg) respectively. The short-term ratings on the Conventional and Islamic Commercial Papers under the same programmes have been maintained at MARC-1(cg) and MARC-1ID(cg) respectively. ...

MARC has affirmed its AAA(bg) and AAA(fg) ratings on investment holding company Premier Merchandise Sdn Bhd’s (Premier Merchandise) RM300 million seven-year bank-guaranteed Medium-Term Notes (MTN) Programme (Tranche 1) and RM300 million nine-year Danajamin-guaranteed MTN Programme (Tranche 2) respectively. The outlook for both ratings is maintained at stable. The affirmed rating on Tranche 1...

MARC has affirmed its rating of AAA(fg) on KMCOB Capital Berhad’s (KMCOB) guaranteed serial bonds (Guaranteed Serial Bonds) of up to RM320 million with a stable outlook. The rating and outlook are premised on the unconditional and irrevocable financial guarantee provided by Danajamin Nasional Berhad (Danajamin), which carries MARC’s insurer financial strength rating of AAA/stable. As ...

MARC has affirmed its AA-IS rating on Weststar Capital Sdn Bhd’s (Weststar Capital) RM900 million Sukuk Mudharabah Programme with a stable outlook. Weststar Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of offshore helicopter service provider Weststar Aviation Services Sdn Bhd (Weststar), was set up for the sole purpose of facilitating the issuance of the sukuk.  The sukuk is secured by the right...

MARC has assigned a preliminary rating of AIS to DRB-HICOM Berhad’s (DRB-HICOM) proposed Perpetual Sukuk Musharakah Programme (Perpetual Sukuk) of up to RM2.0 billion. Concurrently, the rating agency has affirmed its AA-IS rating on DRB-HICOM’s existing Islamic Medium-Term Notes (IMTN) Programme of up to RM1.8 billion. Both ratings carry a stable outlook.  The two-notch rating di...

MARC has placed its ratings on Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd’s (Tesco Malaysia) RM3.5 billion Conventional and Islamic Commercial Papers/Medium-Term Notes Programme on MARCWatch Negative. The rating action follows an announcement by Tesco Malaysia’s parent company UK-based Tesco PLC (Tesco) that it has identified an overstatement of its expected profit by about £250 million for...

MARC withdraws its rating of AAAID(s)/stable on Sarawak Specialist Hospital & Medical Centre Sdn Bhd’s (SSHMC) Istisna’ Serial Bonds following the full redemption of the final series of bonds of RM61.0 million together with its profit payment on the maturity date of September 19, 2014 as confirmed by the facility agent. Upon the withdrawal of the rating, MARC will no longer be prov...

MARC has affirmed its AAAID(s) rating on Sarawak Specialist Hospital & Medical Centre Sdn Bhd’s (SSHMC) outstanding RM61 million Istisna’ Serial Bonds with a stable outlook. The affirmed rating and outlook reflect the irrevocable and unconditional undertaking by the Sarawak state government, via its State Financial Secretary (SFS), to provide timely cashflows to meet repayments for...

MARC will assess the credit implications of Sime Darby Berhad’s (Sime Darby) proposed acquisition of a 48.97% stake in New Britain Palm Oil Limited (NBPOL) on the plantation group’s financial metrics pending full information on the acquisition deal. The impact of the acquisition on Sime Darby’s current ratings will be factored in the forthcoming annual rating review. In the meant...