Moody's assigns Baa2 ratings to Indonesia's USD-denominated bonds
04 Jan 2023
Singapore, January 04, 2023 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has assigned Baa2 senior unsecured ratings to the USD-denominated bonds issued by the Government of Indonesia (Baa2 stable). The issuances have maturities of up to 30 years.
The proceeds of the notes will be used for general budgetary purposes.
According to the terms and conditions available to Moody's, the notes issued will constitute direct, unconditional and unsubordinated obligations of the Government of Indonesia (the issuer). The notes rank pari passu with all of the Government of Indonesia's current and future senior unsecured external debt.
The rating mirrors the Government of Indonesia's long-term issuer rating of Baa2 with a stable outlook.
RATINGS RATIONALE
Indonesia's Baa2 rating is underpinned by policy emphasis on macroeconomic stability that increases its resilience to shocks. The sovereign's credit profile is supported by its large economy, low fiscal deficit and debt burden relative to similarly-rated peers. Credit challenges include low revenue mobilization and consequently weak debt affordability, as well as a reliance on external funding.
Following the dent in economic growth on the back of the coronavirus pandemic, Moody's expects that GDP growth in Indonesia will return to a 5.0% average over the next few years, similar to pre-pandemic GDP rates. As with emerging markets globally, potential growth rates in Indonesia have steadily declined over the last decade, and now face additional pressures from economic scarring following the pandemic. Nevertheless, growth will be slightly above potential in the next 2-3 years and above the median for Baa-rated sovereigns, particularly given that the economy will be in a recovery phase with output gaps still prevalent, and buoyed by low base effects. In addition, Indonesia has benefited from the positive terms of trade shock on account of the higher prices for its commodity exports resulting from the Russia-Ukraine military conflict.
Sizeable non-resident investment in Indonesia exposes the country to swings in capital flows, which are amplified during episodes of global financial market stress. This has economy-wide effects, particularly for the fiscal and external accounts, but also for local businesses. Weaker corporate credit profiles due to higher debt servicing and roll-over costs may hurt banks' asset quality once pandemic-related forbearance measures are rolled back, although strong capitalization continues to provide ample buffers against unexpected losses.
The stable outlook reflects the expectation that reform implementation will continue at a steady, gradual pace. A key assumption behind the stable outlook is the restoration of pre-pandemic fiscal and monetary policies, particularly a cessation in the role of the central bank in financing fiscal spending, enabled by a recovery in growth and a consolidation in fiscal deficits, which appears to be underway. This predicates our underlying assessment of Indonesia's monetary and fiscal policy effectiveness. A delayed or a disorderly exit would weigh on overall policy credibility.
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, GOVERNANCE CONSIDERATIONS
Indonesia's ESG Credit Impact Score is moderately negative (CIS-3), reflecting high exposure to environmental risks and moderate exposure to social risks, contained by institutional and economic resilience.
Indonesia's overall environmental issuer profile score is moderately negative (E-3 issuer profile score), driven by physical climate stresses. Coastal flooding and rising sea levels are a particular source of risk, with widespread implications, including for agricultural production, infrastructure and property, and food security. Waste and pollution are also a source of environmental risk. Demand for arable land and intensive commercial logging have led to soil erosion and deforestation. As a palm-oil and coal exporter, Indonesia is also modestly exposed to carbon transition risk.
Exposure to social risks is moderately negative (S-3 issuer profile score). Population growth and a declining dependency ratio are supportive of growth. However, wealth is concentrated and Indonesia's rankings on wealth and income inequality indices are weak. Spending on both health and education services are just below emerging market standards.
Governance is in line with other similarly-rated sovereigns and does not pose specific risks (G-2 issuer profile score). Our assessment of institutional framework includes issues related to rule of law and control of corruption. The government maintains a strong track record of effective fiscal and monetary policymaking.
This credit rating and any associated review or outlook has been assigned on an anticipated/subsequent basis. Please see the most recent credit rating announcement posted on the issuer's page on
https://ratings.moodys.com, under the reports tab, for related economic statistics included in rating announcements published after June 3, 2013.
This credit rating and any associated review or outlook has been assigned on an anticipated/subsequent basis. Please see the most recent credit rating announcement posted on the issuer's page on
https://ratings.moodys.com, under the reports tab, for related summary rating committee minutes included in rating announcements published after June 3, 2013.
FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS
Over time, indications that fiscal policy measures can durably and significantly raise government revenue would put upward pressure on the rating. Higher revenue would enhance fiscal flexibility and provide more direct financial means for the government to address large social and physical infrastructure spending needs. An upgrade would also likely result from indications that Indonesia's growth potential was strengthening toward rates commensurate with the country's population growth and income levels, including through a deepening of financial markets and improved competitiveness.
Downward pressure would likely arise from 1) weaker policy effectiveness or signs of diminishing policy credibility, potentially reflected in prolonged delays or backtracking on reforms that resulted in a persistent erosion in the revenue base and debt affordability, or which translated into a gradual loss of economic strength; 2) a significant deterioration in the external position, such as from prolonged currency depreciation or capital outflows, with ramifications for debt affordability and reserve adequacy; and 3) a prolonged, entrenched slowdown in growth that had economy-wide impacts and fiscal repercussions, including difficulty reverting to a declining fiscal deficit trajectory following one-time stimulus packages.
The principal methodology used in these ratings was Sovereigns published in November 2022 and available at
https://ratings.moodys.com/api/rmc-documents/395819. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on
https://ratings.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
The weighting of all rating factors is described in the methodology used in this credit rating action, if applicable.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found on
https://ratings.moodys.com/rating-definitions.