The Pakistan Credit Rating Agency Limited
29-Mar-21
Analyst
Afnan Iqbal
afnan.iqbal_old@pacra.com_old
+92-42-35869504
www.pacra.com
Applicable Criteria
Related Research
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PACRA Maintains Stability Rating of NBP Government Securities Savings Fund
| Rating Type | Stability Rating | |
|
Current (29-Mar-21 ) |
Previous (16-Oct-20 ) |
|
| Action | Maintain | Maintain |
| Long Term | AA-(f) | AA-(f) |
| Short Term | - | - |
| Outlook | Stable | Stable |
| Rating Watch | - | - |
The rating reflects adequate strength of the fund's credit and liquidity risk profile which emanates primarily from the fund's mandate to invest at least 70% of assets in government securities. As per the investment policy, the weighted average time to maturity of net assets shall not exceed 4 years other then government securities and there is no restriction regarding time to maturity and duration of any single asset in the portfolio. This increases the fund's exposure to interest rate risk. At end Dec'20, ~37% of fund's assets were placed with banks and remaining funds were invested in government securities. Duration of the fund decreased to 265 days at end Dec '20, reducing its exposure to interest rate risk. The unit holding pattern of the fund is moderately concentrated with top ten investors representing ~39% of the fund's assets, which exposes the fund to moderate level of redemption pressure. The Benchmark of the fund shall be the 6-Month PKRV.
Going forward, the fund intends to maintain its asset allocation in higher credit quality investment avenues. Material changes in the fund's asset allocation strategy, impacting its credit quality and/or exposure to interest rate risk, would affect the rating.
About
the Entity
NBP Fund Management Limited (or the "Company"), established in 2005, is licensed by Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP) to carry out asset management and investment advisory business. National Bank of Pakistan is the largest shareholder of the company with a stake of ~54%. In 2019, Baltoro Growth Fund has acquired the entire 36% stake of Alexandra Fund Management Private Limited in the Company. Baltoro Capital is a Pakistan focused private equity firm. Baltoro Capital has made investments in the pharmaceutical, renewable energy and financial services sectors in Pakistan. It is actively deploying its funds in businesses positioned to achieve extraordinary growth. The CEO of NBP Fund Management Limited, Dr. Amjad Waheed, CFA and family also holds a 10% stake in the company.
The Company’s nine-member Board of Directors includes three independent directors and the CEO. With overall assets under management of PKR 163,473mln at end-Dec'20, the Company is currently managing a diversified fund slate of twenty eight open-end mutual funds, two voluntary pension schemes and an Exchange Traded Fund.