ARC Ratings
International credit rating agency
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ARC Ratings is an international credit rating agency headquartered in London.[1] It was created to be an alternative to the big three North American rating agencies S&P, Moody's and Fitch.[2]
They are registered with the European Securities and Markets Authority[3] and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)[4]. Their main EU office is located in Lisbon and its Asia–Pacific business office is headquartered in Hong Kong.[5][6]
History
In 1988, Companhia Portuguesa de Rating, S.A. was founded in Portugal, focusing on domestic assignments.[5]
In 2013, the company was renamed ARC Ratings, and a number of credit rating agencies joined forces into the new consortium:
- Credit Analysis and Research Limited from India (Asia),[2] the second largest credit rating agency in India
- Global Credit Rating Company Limited from South Africa (Africa),[2] the largest credit rating agency in Africa
- Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad from Malaysia (Asia)[2]
- SR Rating Group from Brazil (South America)[2]
In 2015, ARC Ratings moved from being a consortium to a main shareholder structure, and claims to compete as a rating agency globally against the Big Three credit rating agencies.[5]