Company: INGVF
Filing Date: 2025-03-06
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001628280-25-010764
Chunk: 31

Company: ING GROEP NV
Filing Date: 2025-03-06
Form: 20-F
Item: Item 3
Chunk 31
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 payment. If this were to happen, we expect that such instruments may experience ratings downgrades and/or a drop in value and we may have to treat them as impaired, which could result in significant losses. There is no assurance that losses on, or impairments to the carrying value of, these assets would not materially and adversely affect our business, results or financial condition.
In addition, we are subject to the risk that our rights against third parties may not be enforceable in all circumstances, including sanction risk. The deterioration or perceived deterioration in the credit quality of third parties whose securities or obligations we hold could result in losses and/or adversely affect our ability to rehypothecate or otherwise use those securities or obligations for liquidity purposes. A significant downgrade in the credit ratings of our counterparties could also have a negative impact on our income and risk weighting, leading to increased capital requirements. While in many cases we are permitted to require additional collateral from counterparties that experience financial difficulty, disputes may arise as to the amount of collateral we are entitled to receive and the value of pledged assets. Also in this case, our credit risk may also be exacerbated when the collateral we hold cannot be liquidated at prices sufficient to recover the full amount of the loan or derivative exposure due to us, which is most likely to occur during periods of illiquidity and depressed asset valuations, such as those experienced during the financial crisis of 2008. The termination of contracts and the foreclosure on collateral may subject us to claims. Bankruptcies, downgrades and disputes with counterparties as to the valuation of collateral tend to increase in times of market stress and illiquidity. Any of these developments or losses could materially and adversely affect our business, results, financial condition, and/or prospects.
Ratings are important to our business for a number of reasons, and a downgrade or a potential downgrade in our credit ratings could have an adverse impact on our results and net results.
Credit ratings represent the opinions of rating agencies regarding an entity’s ability to repay its indebtedness. Our credit ratings are important to our ability to raise capital and funding through the issuance of debt and to the cost of such financing. In the event of a downgrade, the cost of issuing debt will increase, having an adverse effect on our net results. Certain institutional investors may also be obliged to withdraw their deposits from ING following a downgrade, which could have an adverse effect on our liquidity. 

ING Group Annual Report 2024 on Form 20-F 

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