China Chengxin Affirms Afreximbank’s AAA Credit Rating

China Chengxin International Credit Rating Co., Ltd. (CCXI) has affirmed African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) AAA issuer credit rating with a Stable outlook for the second consecutive year.

• In its 2026 Credit Rating Report for the Bank, released in Beijing on 30 July, CCXI said it expects the Bank’s credit rating to remain stable in the next 12 to 18 months.
• The CCXI affirmation follows S&P Global Ratings’ assignment earlier this year of ‘BBB+’ long-term and ‘A-2’ short-term issuer credit ratings to Afreximbank, with a Stable outlook.
• Afreximbank also holds investment-grade ratings from GCR (A), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Moody’s (Baa2).

“CCXI’s affirmation of our AAA rating for a second consecutive year is a strong endorsement of Afreximbank’s financial strength, disciplined risk management and enduring relevance to Africa and Global Africa," Chandi Mwenebungu, Afreximbank's Managing Director, Treasury & Markets and Treasurer said.

In 2025, the Bank issued its inaugural RMB2.2 billion Panda bond, becoming the first African multilateral development institution to access the Panda bond market, and subsequently became a direct participant in China’s Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS).

CCXI's report affirmed Afreximbank’s “advantages, including high strategic positioning, sound risk management system, flexible business development, strong profitability, prudent liquidity management and a very high coverage ratio of current assets to short-term debts,” saying that these strengths “strongly supported the overall credit strength of the Bank”.