MERIS
MERIS is a Giza-based credit rating agency, joint venture between Moody's Ratings and FinBi, issuing National Scale Ratings for financial institutions, corporates, and structured finance issuers in Egypt and the broader Middle East.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersGîza, Egypt
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MERIS does
MERIS (Middle East Rating & Investors Service) is a private credit rating agency established in 2010 as a joint venture between Moody's Ratings, one of the international credit rating agencies, and FinBi (Finance & Banking Consultants International), an Egyptian Joint Stock Company founded in 1992 with prior credit rating activity dating to 1999. Headquartered in Dokki, Giza, Egypt, MERIS issues National Scale Ratings (NSRs) covering Egyptian and broader Middle East issuers and issues, distributed primarily via its website (merisratings.com). The company leverages Moody's established rating methodologies and technical expertise, combined with FinBi's local market knowledge, to deliver credit opinions to Egyptian corporate and banking market participants.
MERIS operates three core product lines organized under a unified National Scale Rating framework: Financial Institution Ratings (incorporating Baseline Credit Assessments and external support expectations from affiliates or sovereigns), Corporate Ratings (covering management, operations, strategy, governance, market position, sustainability, capital structure, and cash flow), and Structured Finance Ratings (applying an Expected Loss framework to asset-backed securities). Public outputs include ongoing rating reports, publications on asset-backed securitization transactions (e.g., Al Rehab Securitization, EFG Hermes Securitization, El Taamir Securitization), and a Code of Conduct together with documented Rating Scale and Definitions.
The business model follows the standard issuer-paid credit rating agency structure: Egyptian issuers (banks, corporates, structured finance vehicles) pay for rating assignments and surveillance, with ratings and research also accessible to registered market participants via free website sign-up. Go-to-market is primarily digital-first through the rating reports and publications portal on merisratings.com, reinforced by industry roundtables and educational seminars co-hosted with Moody's on sovereign banking credit risk, insurance credit risk, and Egyptian economic outlook. Customer segments span financial institutions, corporate entities, and structured finance issuers, with stated intent to expand geographic coverage beyond Egypt into additional Middle East countries.
MERIS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MERIS
- Legal name
- MERIS (Middle East Rating & Investors Service)
- Website
- https://merisratings.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MERIS is a Giza-based credit rating agency, joint venture between Moody's Ratings and FinBi, issuing National Scale Ratings for financial institutions, corporates, and structured finance issuers in Egypt and the broader Middle East.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MERIS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Credit Rating Services
- NAICS
- Credit Bureaus (561450), Credit Bureaus (56145)
- SIC
- Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Credit Research (FSACAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Credit Bureaus & Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies (FSAKAKAA)
Keywords
Where MERIS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gîza
- HQ country
- Egypt
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
MERIS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
MERIS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MERIS is a regional credit rating agency that issues credit ratings for financial institutions, corporations, and structured finance transactions primarily in Egypt and the broader Middle East. The firm applies Moody's rating methodologies, including a Baseline Credit Assessment approach, and produces National Scale Ratings calibrated to the local operating environment of rated entities.
Product overview
MERIS is a credit rating agency offering a unified platform of rating services. The core offerings consist of three main products: Financial Institution Ratings (covering banks and financial institutions with baseline credit assessments and support analysis), Corporate Ratings (covering issuer operations including management, strategy, governance, market position, and capital structure), and Structured Finance Ratings (covering asset-backed securities using expected loss analysis). All three services are provided under a National Scale Rating framework focused on the Egyptian market with broader Middle East coverage.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Financial Institution Ratings
- Corporate Ratings
- Structured Finance Ratings
Companies that use MERIS
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MERIS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
MERIS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Moody's RatingscoreMoody's Ratings, one of the international credit rating agencies, is a joint venture partner in MERIS. The partnership provides technical assistance, expertise, and access to Moody's established rating methodologies. This collaboration enables MERIS to issue independent credit ratings using internationally recognized frameworks adapted for the Egyptian and Middle Eastern markets.
- FinBi (Finance & Banking Consultants International)coreFinBi is an Egyptian Joint Stock Company and co-founder of MERIS. Established in 1992, FinBi has activities covering public policy and strategic planning, economic and financial services, and local and international development services. FinBi was one of the first to introduce credit ratings to the Egyptian market, establishing its own credit rating activity in 1999, providing deep local market expertise.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
MERIS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Dagong Global Credit Rating: Dagong is a China-headquartered alternative CRA providing sovereign and corporate ratings with international aspirations. Relevant as a non-Big-Three CRA pushing beyond its home market into emerging economies.
- ARC Ratings: ARC Ratings is a Lisbon-headquartered European CRA focused on SMEs, corporates, and structured finance across Europe and emerging Europe/Africa. Comparable as a non-Big-Three CRA pursuing emerging-market mandates.
- JCR-VIS Credit Rating Co. JCR-VIS is a Pakistan-domiciled CRA (Japan Credit Rating Agency alliance) rating banks, corporates, and structured finance in EM Asia. It illustrates the smaller-scale CRA operating outside the Big Three with regional focus.
- Egan-Jones Ratings Co. Egan-Jones is a US-based alternative CRA recognized by the SEC, rating corporates, financial institutions, and structured finance. Comparable as a non-Big-Three CRA expanding into specialized and emerging-market mandates.
Direct peers
- Capital Intelligence Ratings: Capital Intelligence (CI) is a Cyprus-based regional CRA that has historically rated Middle East and North African banks and corporates. Its regional scope, bank-rating focus, and emerging-market positioning make it a directly comparable peer to MERIS.
- S&P Global Ratings: S&P Global Ratings is one of the Big Three CRAs, issuing sovereign, corporate, financial institution, and structured finance ratings across the Middle East and Africa. It competes head-to-head with MERIS for cross-border Egyptian and regional mandates.
- Moody's Ratings: Moody's is one of the Big Three global CRAs and is MERIS's JV partner. It directly competes in sovereign, bank, corporate, and structured finance ratings globally and within Egypt/Middle East, while also providing methodology and branding underpins to MERIS.
- Fitch Ratings: Fitch is the third member of the Big Three CRAs and rates sovereigns, banks, corporates, and structured finance across MEA. It is a direct competitor in cross-border Egyptian issuance and insurance credit ratings referenced by MERIS events.
Regional players
- Global Credit Rating Company (GCR): GCR is a Johannesburg-headquartered CRA with established presence across Africa and selected Middle East markets for bank, corporate, and structured finance ratings. Comparable as a non-Big-Three regional rating franchise operating across emerging markets.
Broad incumbents
- AM Best: AM Best is the global leader in insurance credit ratings and references MERIS's insurance-credit-risk roundtables (Egypt). Comparable because insurance issuer ratings overlap with MERIS's structured-finance and financial-institution expertise.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MERIS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MERIS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
MERIS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MERIS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MERIS
What does MERIS do?
MERIS is a regional credit rating agency that issues credit ratings for financial institutions, corporations, and structured finance transactions primarily in Egypt and the broader Middle East. The firm applies Moody's rating methodologies, including a Baseline Credit Assessment approach, and produces National Scale Ratings calibrated to the local operating environment of rated entities.
Is MERIS a public or private company?
MERIS is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was MERIS founded?
MERIS was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is MERIS based?
MERIS is headquartered in Gîza, Egypt, in the Africa region.
Who are MERIS's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Dagong Global Credit Rating, ARC Ratings, JCR-VIS Credit Rating Co. and Egan-Jones Ratings Co.. Direct peers are Capital Intelligence Ratings, S&P Global Ratings, Moody's Ratings and Fitch Ratings. Global Credit Rating Company (GCR) is listed as a regional player. AM Best is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does MERIS have an API?
No public API is recorded for MERIS.
What industry is MERIS in?
MERIS's product category is Credit Rating Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSACAGAB, Credit Research, with a secondary code of FSAKAKAA, Credit Bureaus & Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies. Its NAICS code is 561450 and its SIC code is 7320.