The Bank of Russia has launched a unified database of ratings for domestic companies – a rating repository that combines the ratings of legal entities and bonds from four credit rating agencies (CRAs).

The list includes the Analytical Credit Rating Agency (ACRA), Expert RA, National Rating Agency (NRA), and National Credit Ratings (NKR).

Now all the information is available in an aggregated form, Nikolai Ivanov, Deputy General Director of the Expert RA agency, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta. As a result, this simplifies investment decision-making for people.

In a situation where Russian companies are forced to keep their financial information confidential because of sanctions, credit ratings are one of the few tools investors can rely on when assessing their risks, Ivanov emphasized.

A credit rating is an assessment of a company's ability to meet its obligations. It is used to decide where to invest money. The higher the rating, the more reliable the borrower, and vice versa, explained Evgeny Kogan, a HSE professor and the founder of the Bitkogan project, to RG.

Credit ratings of companies and securities help determine what to buy in each portfolio.

"It is difficult for private investors without analytical experience to carry out credit analysis on their own. Here, we have received detailed and professional information in one place. The repository will be useful for both investors and analysts," Kogan concluded.

According to the latest data, in June the number of Russians who opened brokerage accounts on the Moscow Exchange reached 32.4 million. In the first half of the year, their number grew by more than 2 million.