The Bank of Russia has launched a unified database of domestic company ratings—a ratings repository that consolidates the ratings of legal entities and bonds from four credit rating agencies (CRAs).

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

All information is now available in an aggregated format, Nikolay Ivanov, Deputy General Director of Expert RA, told Rossiyskaya Gazeta. This ultimately simplifies investment decision-making for people.

In a situation where Russian companies are forced to restrict their financial information from the public due to sanctions, credit ratings are one of the few tools investors can rely on to assess 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 professor at HSE and founder of the Bitkogan project, to RG.

Company and securities credit ratings help determine what to purchase in each portfolio.

"For private investors without analytical experience, it is difficult to conduct a credit analysis independently. 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. Over the first half of the year, this number increased by more than 2 million people.