MUMBAI: Two international rating agencies Moody’s and Fitch on Tuesday changed their outlook on as many as seven group companies to ‘negative’ from ‘stable,’ flagging governance issues along with funding risks and potential disruptions. The rating actions follow the bribery and fraud charges against chairman Gautam Adani and seven others in the US.
The rating downgrades come a day after its largest investor Total Energies of France said it would hold back any fresh investments in the group and the US developmental bank said it would review its funding agreement to a port being developed by the Adanis in Sri Lanka. Also, Bangladesh hinted at reviewing the power supply terms the country’s previous government had entered into with the group. Already, it lost over $2 billion worth of airport and power transmission lines projects in Kenya.
While Moody’s has changed its outlook on seven Adani group firms to negative from stable; rival agency Fitch did so on two energy firms of the group, Adani Energy and Adani Electricity Mumbai, placing them on negative watch.
Last week, S&P had downgraded three group companies. S&P had revised its outlook on Adani Electricity Mumbai, Adani Ports & SEZ, and Adani Green Energy, to negative flagging concerns about governance practices and warned that the group’s cash flows could be materially impacted if allegations are proven or if funding access weakens.
Lowering the outlook on the seven companies, Moody’s cited “potential governance weaknesses across the group companies and warned of operational disruptions that may affect capital spending plans while legal proceedings are going on.”
The rating agency said the $250 million corruption charges and allegations could have a broader credit impact on all-rated group issuers. The downgrades come within days of a New York federal court indicting Gautam Adani, his cousin and six of his business associates for allegedly paying bribes 4,250 million to secure solar power purchase contracts from a few states during 2021-2022.
While the agency has affirmed ratings for all seven entities (Baa3), negative outlook stems from heightened risks to the group’s funding access and potential operational challenges, it said. The downgraded entities are the infra firm Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone and six others. But the agency has spared the group flagship Adani Enterprises and the two cement companies which it acquired in 2022 from Holcim and also the FMCG joint venture Adani Wilmar.