Sovereign default history: evidence of supranationals' preferred creditor status

Low Default Rate to Supranationals: Fitch Ratings' study of sovereign defaults to different groups of creditors (bilateral official, private, and supranational) in 1999-2018 shows that most defaults to Fitch-rated supranationals are accompanied by defaults to other groups of creditors. Our annual observations show that there have been only three cases of default to multilateral development banks (MDBs) not accompanied by a default to another official or private creditor: Iran (2013), Syria (2002) and Yugoslavia (until 2003). For the survey we used the Bank of Canada database and our own default statistics on MDBs. Joint Default Rates: Scenarios involving a joint default to a supranational and another official creditor are more frequent, while there was no joint default to both a supranational and private creditor. This indicates that countries defaulting to supranationals are in most cases ones with limited or no access to capital markets, and relying largely on assistance from public development agencies. Evidence of Preferred Creditor Status: These statistics provide evidence of MBDs' preferred creditor status (PCS). PCS is a widely accepted principle under which MDBs are given priority for repayment of debt in the event of a sovereign borrower experiencing financial stress. The servicing of MDBs' non-sovereign loans is also protected against restrictions on foreign exchange.