MSCI
MSCI is a publicly traded global provider of investment decision-support tools, offering rules-based indexes, ESG and climate risk analytics, and private asset data to institutional investors, asset managers, banks, insurers, and corporate issuers in 26+ countries.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
MSCI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MSCI
- Legal name
- MSCI Inc.
- Website
- https://msci.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- MSCI is a publicly traded global provider of investment decision-support tools, offering rules-based indexes, ESG and climate risk analytics, and private asset data to institutional investors, asset managers, banks, insurers, and corporate issuers in 26+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MSCI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investment Analytics and Index Services
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Software Publishers (513210), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro industry
- ESG Data, Ratings & Research (Providers, Methodologies, Analytics)Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Asset Management — ESG/Sustainable & Impact InvestingESG Reporting, Disclosure & Regulatory Compliance (SFDR, EU Taxonomy, TCFD/ISSB)Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Asset Management — ESG/Sustainable & Impact InvestingESG Data, Ratings & Climate BenchmarksFinancial & Insurance/Financial Exchanges & Market Infrastructure/Market Data, Indices & Benchmark AdministratorsESG Indexing & ESG ETFs (Rules-Based ESG Benchmarks and Passive Products)Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Asset Management — ESG/Sustainable & Impact InvestingESG Data Platforms, Controls & Audit Readiness (Data quality, internal controls)Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Sustainability, ESG & Corporate Environmental Reporting
Keywords
Where MSCI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices13 records
Markets served
MSCI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Index Solutions and Licensing: MSCI provides rules-based index solutions and licenses indexes to ETF issuers, asset managers, and institutional investors. Index-linked products tracked include those using MSCI benchmarks.
- Data and Analytics Products: Subscription-based access to data and analytics products including ESG ratings, climate risk data, risk analytics, and portfolio management tools for institutional investors.
- Sustainability and Climate Solutions: Sustainability data, ESG ratings, climate risk analytics, and regulatory compliance tools sold to corporate issuers, asset managers, banks, and insurers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
MSCI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MSCI provides rules-based index solutions, ESG ratings and sustainability data covering 16,000+ corporate issuers, climate and physical risk analytics spanning 700,000+ asset locations, private asset and real estate data and analytics, portfolio and risk management tools, and regulatory compliance toolkits to institutional investors, asset managers, banks, insurers, and corporate issuers. The platform is delivered primarily through subscription-based licensing and the MSCI ONE client portal.
Product overview
MSCI is a leading provider of investment decision support tools and services for the global investment community. The company operates a platform-plus-modules architecture offering indexes (market cap, factor, fixed income, private assets, sustainability, climate, thematic, custom), ESG ratings and sustainability data (16,000+ issuers), climate risk analytics (700,000+ asset locations), private asset solutions, real estate analytics (via Real Capital Analytics), and risk management tools. The product portfolio is organized around core analytics platforms with specialized modules including ESG Ratings, Climate Solutions, Private Asset Solutions, Fixed Income Offerings, Portfolio Management, and Wealth Management. Acquisitions including First Street (climate risk), Vantager (AI due diligence), Compass Financial Technologies (index), PM Insights (private markets), and Real Capital Analytics (real estate) have expanded MSCI's capabilities across private markets and climate analytics. MSCI IndexAI Insights represents the company's conversational AI offering for index exploration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard): A four-tiered hierarchical industry classification system developed jointly by MSCI and S&P Dow Jones Indices to provide consistent and exhaustive industry definitions for investors.
Products and services
- Rules-based Index Solutions
Quantifiable outcome
- Companies with better MSCI ESG Ratings tended to have lower cost of capital - significant correlation confirmed across 4,000+ issuers from August 2015 to May 2024
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use MSCI
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
MSCI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability9 records
Feature4 records
MSCI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- S&P Dow Jones IndicesflagshipJoint development partnership for the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS), which has become an industry-wide standard for classifying companies by business activity. MSCI and S&P co-own and co-maintain GICS, which is used by investors globally for portfolio analysis, sector allocation, and benchmarking.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MSCI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Bloomberg: Bloomberg's Terminal and enterprise data products overlap with MSCI's analytics and ESG offerings across portfolio, risk, and reference data, while also being a complementary distribution channel.
- FactSet: FactSet provides portfolio analytics, risk, and data solutions to asset managers and asset owners, overlapping with MSCI's portfolio management and analytics offerings, especially for buy-side workflows.
- Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): ICE operates benchmark indexes (ICE BofA, NYSE), data services, and fixed income analytics that overlap with MSCI's index and fixed income businesses, particularly for fixed income benchmarking and ETF licensing.
- Refinitiv (LSEG): Refinitiv, now part of LSEG alongside FTSE Russell, provides fixed income, reference data, and ESG data products that overlap with MSCI's data and analytics, index licensing, and sustainability offerings.
- Moody's: Moody's is a broader ratings and analytics incumbent with growing exposure to ESG, climate risk, and private credit analytics, competing with MSCI in risk analytics and sustainability data.
Direct peers
- Preqin: Preqin is a leading private markets data and analytics provider directly competing with MSCI's expanded private asset solutions (PM Insights, Burgiss, RCA, Vantager) for PE, VC, and private credit data and benchmarking.
- Sustainalytics: Sustainalytics is one of the largest dedicated ESG ratings providers and a direct competitor to MSCI ESG Ratings, particularly for asset managers, asset owners, and corporate issuers using ESG risk data.
- FTSE Russell (London Stock Exchange Group): FTSE Russell is a major global index provider competing head-to-head with MSCI in benchmark indexes (developed, emerging, factor, ESG) and increasingly in climate and sustainability analytics through its FTSE TPI Climate Indexes and ESG data.
- S&P Dow Jones Indices: S&P Dow Jones Indices is MSCI's joint owner of GICS and its principal direct competitor in equity, fixed income, and ESG index licensing. The two firms compete for ETP benchmark mandates globally while cooperating on industry classification standards.
- ISS ESG: ISS ESG provides ESG ratings, climate solutions, and governance data overlapping with MSCI's sustainability offerings, particularly for institutional investors and corporate issuers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MSCI social profiles
Digital presenceMSCI compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
MSCI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MSCI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
MSCI subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries11 records
MSCI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MSCI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A13 records
Investments4 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MSCI
What does MSCI do?
MSCI provides rules-based index solutions, ESG ratings and sustainability data covering 16,000+ corporate issuers, climate and physical risk analytics spanning 700,000+ asset locations, private asset and real estate data and analytics, portfolio and risk management tools, and regulatory compliance toolkits to institutional investors, asset managers, banks, insurers, and corporate issuers. The platform is delivered primarily through subscription-based licensing and the MSCI ONE client portal.
Is MSCI a public or private company?
MSCI is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was MSCI founded?
MSCI was founded in 1969. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is MSCI based?
MSCI is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does MSCI make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Index Solutions and Licensing is the primary driver. The others are data and Analytics Products and sustainability and Climate Solutions.
Who are MSCI's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Bloomberg, FactSet, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Refinitiv (LSEG) and Moody's. Direct peers are Preqin, Sustainalytics, FTSE Russell (London Stock Exchange Group), S&P Dow Jones Indices and ISS ESG.
Does MSCI have an API?
No public API is recorded for MSCI.
What industry is MSCI in?
MSCI's product category is Investment Analytics and Index Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAALAJ, ESG Data, Ratings & Research (Providers, Methodologies, Analytics), with a secondary code of FSAAALAK, ESG Reporting, Disclosure & Regulatory Compliance (SFDR, EU Taxonomy, TCFD/ISSB). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.