S&P Global Ratings
S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE: SPGI), is a globally recognized credit ratings agency that provides independent credit ratings, research, and sustainable finance opinions to sovereigns, corporates, financial institutions, structured finance issuers, insurers, and infrastructure projects across more than 21 countries.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1941
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What S&P Global Ratings does
S&P Global Ratings is a division of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE: SPGI) and operates as a globally recognized credit ratings agency. Founded in 1860 (with the Standard & Poor's brand established in 1941) and headquartered in New York, the organization provides independent credit ratings, research, and analytical assessments of creditworthiness across eight primary segments: sovereign governments, corporates, financial institutions, structured finance, insurance, project finance, U.S. public finance, and infrastructure. Its geographic footprint spans 21+ countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, supported by national-rating subsidiaries (e.g., S&P National Ratings in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, and Panama; Taiwan Ratings; India via CRISIL) and localized sites in multiple languages.
The product portfolio is anchored on core credit ratings, augmented by the Rating Evaluation Service (forward-looking, confidential credit impact assessments for proposed transactions), Second Party Opinions for green, social, and sustainability financing (strengthened by the 2022 acquisition of CICERO's Shades of Green), and the Ratings360 digital platform that delivers a personalized dashboard of ratings, risk research, and insights to rated issuers. Underlying technology comprises a credit-analytics platform with risk-assessment tools covering over 400 million corporate entities globally, layered onto decades of historical rating and default data.
The business model combines subscription/recurring revenue (issuer-driven credit rating services and institutional research subscriptions distributed through Ratings360 and S&P Capital IQ Pro) with professional-services revenue (Rating Evaluation Service). Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with rated entities engaged as primary customers and institutional investors served through subscription platforms. The franchise benefits from NRSRO regulatory status that mandates credit ratings for capital markets access in many jurisdictions, producing a structurally recurring revenue base across a broad and diverse issuer and investor customer base.
S&P Global Ratings firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- S&P Global Ratings
- Legal name
- S&P Global Inc.
- Website
- https://spratings.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1941
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE: SPGI), is a globally recognized credit ratings agency that provides independent credit ratings, research, and sustainable finance opinions to sovereigns, corporates, financial institutions, structured finance issuers, insurers, and infrastructure projects across more than 21 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
S&P Global Ratings industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Credit Rating Services
- NAICS
- Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Structured Finance Ratings & Surveillance (FSACACAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- ESG Data, Ratings & Climate Benchmarks (FSAFAIAI), Sustainable Finance & ESG Ratings/Benchmarking Support (EUAHAJAH), Credit Research (FSACAGAB)
Keywords
Where S&P Global Ratings is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
S&P Global Ratings business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Credit Ratings Services: S&P Global Ratings provides credit rating services to rated entities including sovereigns, corporations, financial institutions, and structured finance issuers. The ratings are essential for capital markets access and investor decision-making.
- Research Subscriptions: The company provides research subscriptions including credit market research, economic research, sector-specific analysis, and outlook reports available through S&P Capital IQ Pro and Ratings360 platforms.
- Rating Evaluation Service: A confidential assessment service providing forward-looking credit impact evaluations for proposed strategic initiatives before implementation.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
S&P Global Ratings product offering
Product offeringCore offering
S&P Global Ratings is a credit rating agency that provides independent analytical assessments of creditworthiness across sovereigns, corporates, financial institutions, and structured finance issuers. It sells credit ratings, Second Party Opinions for sustainable financing, the Rating Evaluation Service for forward-looking credit impact assessments, and research subscriptions delivered through digital platforms.
Product overview
S&P Global Ratings operates as a platform offering integrated credit ratings, risk research, and analytical insights. The core products include Credit Ratings (providing independent opinions on creditworthiness), Rating Evaluation Service (forward-looking credit impact assessments), Second Party Opinions (sustainable finance transparency services), and Ratings360 (a consolidated dashboard for rated entities to access ratings, research, and critical insights). The company also provides specialized sector coverage including Corporates, Structured Finance, Insurance, Governments, Financial Institutions, and Infrastructure through various research channels and sector-specific solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Credit Ratings
Companies that use S&P Global Ratings
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles8 records
S&P Global Ratings technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
S&P Global Ratings partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Agusto & Co.coreS&P Global Ratings acquired a majority stake in Nigeria-based Agusto & Co. to expand its coverage in Africa, a region seen as underserved by global ratings companies. The investment was described as a strategic step that will complement and support S&P Global's growth strategy in Africa.
- CICERO (Center for International Climate Research)coreS&P Global acquired the Shades of Green business from CICERO, a Norwegian climate research institute, to enhance its offerings of second-party opinions related to green and sustainability financing. Shades of Green has been a leading provider of independent SPOs since 2018 and integrates climate expertise into S&P Global Ratings.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
S&P Global Ratings competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Bloomberg: Bloomberg is a broad incumbent in financial data, analytics, and credit-research distribution, with overlapping institutional subscriber base and credit-market intelligence offerings. Competes at the research-platform layer rather than the rating-opinion layer.
- MSCI: MSCI is a broad incumbent in indexes, ESG ratings, and risk analytics. Direct overlap in ESG/climate ratings and indices, increasingly competing for sustainable-finance wallet share that S&P targets through SPOs and Shades of Green.
- Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): ICE is a broad incumbent operating fixed-income data, pricing, and analytics infrastructure (including through ICE Data Services and fixed-income indices). Touches the credit-data ecosystem adjacent to S&P's ratings and research distribution.
Direct peers
- Egan-Jones Ratings: Egan-Jones is an independent NRSRO credit rating agency focused on corporate, sovereign, and financial-institution ratings. Smaller-scale direct competitor that has gained traction as a sponsor-pays alternative to the issuer-pays model.
- DBRS Morningstar: DBRS Morningstar is a global credit rating agency acquired by Morningstar, offering ratings across corporates, financial institutions, sovereigns, and structured finance. Direct competitor, particularly strong in Canadian and European structured finance.
- Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA): KBRA is a U.S. credit rating agency providing corporate, financial-institution, insurance, and structured finance ratings, with growing market share in CMBS, RMBS, and CLOs. A credible challenger to the Big Three in structured finance.
- Fitch Ratings: Fitch is the third major global credit rating agency, competing directly with S&P Global Ratings in sovereign, corporate, financial-institution, and structured finance ratings. Sister agency to Moody's under joint ownership history; now independently operated.
- AM Best: AM Best is the dominant credit rating agency specializing in the insurance industry, providing financial-strength ratings to insurers and reinsurers. Comparable as a domain-specialized ratings business within S&P's insurance ratings vertical.
- Moody's: Moody's is the other dominant global credit rating agency alongside S&P Global Ratings, providing corporate, sovereign, financial-institution, and structured finance ratings. Direct head-to-head competitor across virtually all ratings categories.
Regional players
- CRISIL: CRISIL is an India-based credit rating agency majority-owned by S&P Global itself, providing ratings, research, and analytics across Indian corporates, banks, and structured finance. Comparable regional ratings business model within S&P's own global footprint strategy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
S&P Global Ratings social profiles
Digital presenceS&P Global Ratings financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
S&P Global Ratings leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
S&P Global Ratings subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
S&P Global Ratings funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
S&P Global Ratings M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about S&P Global Ratings
What does S&P Global Ratings do?
S&P Global Ratings is a credit rating agency that provides independent analytical assessments of creditworthiness across sovereigns, corporates, financial institutions, and structured finance issuers. It sells credit ratings, Second Party Opinions for sustainable financing, the Rating Evaluation Service for forward-looking credit impact assessments, and research subscriptions delivered through digital platforms.
Is S&P Global Ratings a public or private company?
S&P Global Ratings is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was S&P Global Ratings founded?
S&P Global Ratings was founded in 1941. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is S&P Global Ratings based?
S&P Global Ratings is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does S&P Global Ratings make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Credit Ratings Services are the primary driver. The others are research Subscriptions and rating Evaluation Service.
Who are S&P Global Ratings's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Bloomberg, MSCI and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). Direct peers are Egan-Jones Ratings, DBRS Morningstar, Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA), Fitch Ratings, AM Best and Moody's. CRISIL is listed as a regional player.
Does S&P Global Ratings have an API?
No public API is recorded for S&P Global Ratings.
What industry is S&P Global Ratings in?
S&P Global Ratings's product category is Credit Rating Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSACACAI, Structured Finance Ratings & Surveillance, with a secondary code of FSAFAIAI, ESG Data, Ratings & Climate Benchmarks. Its NAICS code is 5223.