VOL. XL No. 185-May-1997

QATAR

Thomson Bankwatch Upgrades, Affirms AndAssigns Ratings In Bahrain And Qatar

The US ratings agency Thomson Bankwatch hasupgraded its sovereign risk rating assigned to Bahrain to BB+ from BB and thaton Qatar to BBB from BBB-. The agency has also affirmed the ratings assigned toBahrain's Gulf International Bank (GIB) and Qatar National Bank (QNB) andassigned new ratings to National Bank of Bahrain (NBB). The new ratings are:

Intra-Country

Local Currency

Debt...