The rating agency Fitch downgraded the ratings of six Slovenian banks on Thursday, citing the need for their recapitalisation and problems in their immediate environment as the agency expects the country's GDP to contract 1.1 per cent this year. The outlooks on all the banks are negative.
The ratings were downgraded from BBB to BBB- for the following banks: Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor (NKBM), Abanka Vipa, Gorenjska Banka (GB), Banka Celje d.d. (BC) and Probanka. The rating of Banka Koper, which is majority-owned by an Italian banking group, was affirmed.
The downgrades came after Fitch, as the last of the three biggest rating agencies, lowered Slovenia's sovereign rating from A to A- on Wednesday, citing difficulties that were expected in the recapitalisation of the leading state-owned systemic banks.
