Standard & Poor's May Raise Ukrainian Bank Ratings.

Standard & Poor’s Rating Services may raise ratings for Ukrainian banks. According to a statement made by S&P the agency believes that macroeconomic trends will likely continue improving in Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine for at least the next 12 months.  Therefore, the credit quality of domestic banks should also keep improving, although at a varying pace. Concorde Capital: For the last four years the Ukrainian banking sector has demonstrated remarkable growth ?total banking assets increased almost four fold in 2001-2004, the highest growth rate among CEE countries. Currently many Ukrainian banks are looking for strategic foreign partners and we believe S&P?s upgrade will have positive effect on the attractiveness of Ukrainian banks. S&P lists the long-term rating of Ukrainian banks at B- and BB- with a stable outlook.