...Strong Credit Profile: The Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) and National Ratings on Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited (BBL) reflect its well-established domestic franchise, relatively stable profitability, strong capitalisation and sound liquidity. Fitch Ratings considers BBL's high levels of loan-loss reserve coverage and solid core capitalisation to be strong buffers against possible economic downturns. Strong Franchise: Fitch views BBL's franchise as one of the strongest in Thailand. BBL's close relationship with large corporate clients and its large international network help the bank to maintain a leadership in business lending. BBL's solid deposit franchise with a diverse clientele gives it a stable and low-cost funding base. Profitability Underperforms Peers': BBL has weaker profitability than other large private- sector bank peers. This partly reflects a lower risk appetite ¡ BBL has a large portfolio of low- risk securities equivalent to 13% of total assets ¡ and weaker interest...
