Waters Rankings 2021: Best ESG data provider—Moody’s ESG Solutions

WHY THEY WON

Perhaps there is no hotter segment of the capital markets than ESG, which helps to explain why Moody’s has made the significant investment to create the MESG unit. The fact that Moody’s ESG Solutions received the most votes in this competitive category shows that it’s already making a name for itself.

WHAT’S NEW

Moody’s ESG Solutions was launched in September 2020. It has since integrated two ESG and climate data providers—V.E. and Four Twenty Seven—into its group.

The company has launched new delivery platforms and products, including Climate Solutions, SME Solutions, and Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and TCFD datasets to serve regulatory reporting. 

It now has Controversy Risk Assessments on 10,000 companies, expansion of physical risk scores for 5,000 listed companies with 2.5 million corporate facilities globally, 17 million commercial real estate properties in the US and global sovereigns, as well as climate-adjusted Expected Default Frequencies (EDFs). 

WHAT’S TO COME 

The team will focus the next year on increasing coverage, further integration of ESG into risk management solutions, product development and expanding its distribution presence globally.   

For example, its ESG Score Predictor, a tool that generates real-time predicted ESG scores for millions of public and private SMEs worldwide, currently provides ESG scores for 140 million companies via API and Moody’s platforms. Moody’s plans to increase this number during 2021, while also expanding its distribution channels through partnerships and its global footprint.