On March 2, 2018, we raised our long-term rating on the German state of Hesse to 'AA+' from 'AA' and assigned a stable outlook. We continue to equalize our ratings on Wirtschafts- Und Infrastrukturbank Hessen (WIBank) with those on Hesse, since we see an almost certain likelihood of Hesse providing extraordinary financial support to WIBank if necessary. We are therefore raising our long-term rating on WIBank to 'AA+' from 'AA' and affirming the short-term rating at 'A-1+'. The outlook on WIBank is stable, reflecting the outlook on Hesse. On March 6, 2018, S&P Global Ratings raised its long-term issuer credit ratings on German regional development agency Wirtschafts- Und Infrastrukturbank Hessen (WIBank) to 'AA+' from 'AA'. The outlook is stable. At
