28 May 2020 10:02

Interfax and Expert RA sign cooperation agreement

Expert RA, the biggest Russian credit rating agency, and Interfax Group, a recognized leader of the Russian information market in the B2B segment, have signed a cooperation agreement.

In keeping with the document, Interfax received the right to report the assignment of credit ratings to issuers and issues assigned by Expert RA agency through the RU Data platform.

RU Data subscribers will be able to receive information about changes in credit ratings assigned by Expert RA online via web interface and also API and Excel.

"In conditions of a rapidly developing world, instant access to information about the assignment or change of credit ratings is a necessary condition for the successful operation of financial market players, regulators and business partners. We as the leading Russian rating agency are interested in the dissemination of information about our ratings along different information channels," Expert RA Deputy General Director Sergei Nazarov said.

According to him, "today we are speaking of over 600 effective ratings. In addition to credit ratings our Agency is actively developing the direction of evaluating sustainable development which includes ESG ratings, corporate governance ratings, the independent verification of green and social bonds and also green loans."

"Factors of the sustainable development of business increasingly determine the preferences of investors and directions of financial flows. The provision of information about such ratings and independent opinions through RU Data will promote more exhaustive and faster evaluation of credit and non-credit risks," Nazarov said.

"Interfax strives to supply professional players with exhaustive data on the credit risks of counterparties. We are the sole Russian news agency having agreements on the dissemination of ratings with both the big three of international rating agencies and leading Russian national agencies. The new agreement will offer additional opportunities to RU Data customers to analyze the credit quality of issuers and their financial tools," Interfax Executive Director Vladimir Gerasimov said.

In addition to credit ratings, the RU Data project analyzes the credit quality of Russian issuers of debt securities based on an original scoring model producing the key metrics of a credit risk: PD (PIT, TTC) and LGD.

Expert RA rating agency founded in 1997 is the oldest and presently the biggest Russian rating agency. Expert Ra is included in the Central Bank register of rating agencies.

Expert RA ratings are included in the lists of official requirements to banks, insurers, pension funds and issuers. The agency's ratings are used by the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Moscow Exchange and also hundreds of companies and authorities in arranging contests and tenders.

Interfax Group develops advanced solutions in business risk management and the fulfillment of regulatory requirements. Interfax solutions convert Big Data into knowledge and permit companies to use all the capabilities of Big Data for developing competitive advantages and effectively managing business in a digital economy environment.

RU Data is an Interfax product developed in partnership with the National Settlement Depository (NSD). It is the biggest Russian source of verified information on financial tools and issuers, unifying all information accessible on the Russian equities market, including reference data verified by books and records, information from issuers and registrars, and operational information received directly from issuers.

Interfax as an authorized agency of the Russian Central Bank supplies RU Data with information about issuers, including key facts, accounts, Russian and international ratings, data on issues and non-market tools.

RU Data possesses unique services for automating regulatory requirements to the evaluation of market and credit risks by portfolios of financial tools simultaneously meeting the needs of several divisions: back office, accounting, depositary and risk.