PARIS (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Aug. 1, 2000--Standard&Poor's today assigned first ratings to Euroclear Bank S.A., the new Belgium-based entity that, from early 2001, will operate the Euroclear clearing and settlement system. Double-'A'-plus long-term and 'A-1'-plus short-term counterparty credit and certificate of deposit ratings were assigned. The outlook is stable. The ratings on Euroclear Bank are based on its low-risk profile, as well as the significant role it will have in the international financial markets as operator of the Euroclear clearing and settlement system. Due to the crucial function of Euroclear in the global securities markets, Standard&Poor's expects that market participants and central banks would be strongly incited to provide liquidity support to Euroclear Bank in
