(The following statement was released by the rating agency) BANGKOK/HONG KONG, March 02 (Fitch) Fitch Ratings has assigned an expected ‘BBB-(EXP)’ rating to TMB Bank Public Company Limited’s (TMB; BBB-/Stable) proposed Chinese yuan-denominated senior unsecured notes, issued under its USD3.0bn euro medium-term note (EMTN) programme. The EMTN programme has been rated ‘BBB-‘. The proposed tenor for the notes is three years and they will be issued out of TMB’s Cayman Islands branch, with proceeds planned for general corporate purposes, including meeting funding requirements of the bank. The final rating is subject to the receipt of final documentation conforming to information already received. KEY RATING DRIVERS The notes are rated at the same level as Thailand-based TMB’s EMTN programme and Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of ‘BBB-‘, as they represent unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of the bank. TMB’s IDR reflects its stand-alone credit strength. TMB is Thailand’s seventh-largest commercial bank by assets as of December 2014, and its rating is supported by continued improvements in its financial performance. RATING SENSITIVITIES The rating on the senior unsecured notes would be directly impacted by any changes in TMB’s EMTN which, in turn, would be affected by changes in the bank’s IDR. TMB’s ratings could be hurt by a major deterioration in its financial performance, such as in a weaker economic environment, or from an increase in the bank’s risk appetite. Meanwhile, the bank’s ability to maintain or improve its financial performance and a clear strengthening of its domestic franchise would be positive to the ratings. For further details on TMB’s key rating drivers and rating sensitivities, refer to the rating action commentary “Fitch Affirms Thai Mid-Sized Banks; Revises Thanachart Bank’s Outlook to Stable”, dated 3 February 2015 and available at www.fitchratings.com. The other ratings of TMB are unaffected by this action, and are as follows: Long-Term IDR: ‘BBB-‘; Outlook Stable Short-Term IDR: ‘F3’ USD3.0bn senior unsecured medium-term note programme: ‘BBB-‘ Viability Rating: ‘bbb-‘ Support Rating: ‘3’ Support Rating Floor: ‘BB+’ National Long-Term Rating: ‘A+(tha)’; Outlook Stable National Short-Term Rating: ‘F1(tha)’; National subordinated debt rating: ‘A(tha)’ Contacts: Primary Analyst Ambreesh Srivastava Senior Director +65 6796 7218 Fitch Ratings Singapore PTE Ltd 6 Temasek Boulevard #35-05 Suntec Tower Four Singapore 038986 Secondary Analyst Trin Siriwutiset Associate Director +662 108 0154 Committee Chairperson Jonathan Cornish Managing Director +852 2263 9901 Media Relations: Leslie Tan, Singapore, Tel: +65 67 96 7234, Email: [email protected]. Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com. Applicable criteria, “Global Financial Institutions Rating Criteria” dated 31 January 2014 are available on www.fitchratings.com. Applicable Criteria and Related Research: Global Financial Institutions Rating Criteria here Additional Disclosure Solicitation Status here ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: here. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY’S PUBLIC WEBSITE ‘WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM’. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH’S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE ‘CODE OF CONDUCT’ SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE.