About

Mission & Values

Our mission is to make credit and sustainability risk as transparent as possible for institutional investors and issuers to help them take more informed decisions to add economic value.

At Scope, we live by the following corporate values:

We offer a European alternative and analytical excellence
We help investors and issuers identify credit, investment and sustainability risk
We are entrepreneurial and focused tightly on serving our clients
We embrace the empowerment of our employees
We encourage diverse perspectives

Our story

Scope Group was founded in Berlin in 2002 by Florian Schoeller as a firm specialising in the analysis of alternative investments.

In 2012, shareholders and management decided that Scope would expand into rating credit with the goal of establishing the firm as the European alternative to the US rating agencies. To build the platform for developing the new business, Scope acquired PSR Ratings, an ESMA-registered company specialised in analysing companies in the automotive sector.

Scope’s next step was to grow internationally across relevant rating classes while building its reputation for the highest quality credit assessment. Scope hired several experienced and established analysts and managers between 2013 and 2015 to ensure the industry-leading standards of quality and professionalism.

Acquisitions have continued. In mid-2016, Scope acquired FERI EuroRating Services AG. In January 2021, Scope acquired Euler Hermes Rating. Today, Scope Ratings, a wholly owned Scope subsidiary, is the uncontested market leader among European rating agencies.

Scope has raised financing from investors across Europe. The company secured funding from institutional investors such as RAG-Stiftung, HDI / Talanx and die Swiss Mobiliar. AXA, Crédit Agricole and Groupe BPCE are the latest institutional investors to show their confidence in Scope’s growth by becoming shareholders.

Scope Group’s analyst teams are based in Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Madrid, Oslo and Paris. Scope's product offering now includes credit ratings, ESG analysis, fund analysis in addition to other customised financial services. Institutional investors have access to all rating services on ScopeOne, Scope’s innovative digital platform.

In November 2023 the European Central Bank (ECB) accepted Scope Ratings as a new external credit assessment institution, making Scope’s credit ratings eligible under the Eurosystem Credit Assessment Framework (ECAF). Scope’s credit ratings can be used to fulfil credit quality requirements of marketable assets that are eligible as collateral in Eurosystem monetary policy operations. Scope plans to gradually expand its business model worldwide. The group will apply for Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO) status in the United States.

Legal Structure & Shareholders

Scope SE & Co. KGaA is the holding company of the Scope Group and the leading EU-based provider of independent ratings, research and risk analysis solutions across asset classes.

The agency’s legal structure includes the separation of shareholder’s interests from strategic management. The Scope Foundation, one of three shareholders of the general partner Scope Management SE, ensures in the long term that no one besides the three can influence the corporate strategy and orientation of Scope and that the rating agency will always remain in the hands of European guardian shareholders.

Scope’s shareholder structure also includes limited partners. These are long-term investors such as RAG-Stiftung, one of Germany’s largest foundations, Groupe BPCE and Crédit Agricole, two of France´s largest banking groups, and insurance companies such as AXA, HDI/Talanx, and Swiss Mobiliar. In addition, numerous renowned individual shareholders with distinguished backgrounds in finance and industry have invested in the European rating agency.

Shareholders of Scope Management SE

Shareholders of Scope SE & Co. KGaA

Institutional Investors

Private shareholders

Approximately 80 renowned shareholders with distinguished backgrounds in finance and industry have invested in Scope, Europe’s leading rating firm.

Licences

Rating agency registrations

Scope Ratings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Scope Group, has been registered with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) as an external credit assessment institution (ECAI) since 2014. Switzerland’s financial market supervisory authority FINMA registered Scope in 2019. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) registered Scope in November 2023.

ECB acceptance

In November 2023 the European Central Bank (ECB) accepted Scope Ratings as a new external credit assessment institution, making Scope’s credit ratings eligible under the Eurosystem Credit Assessment Framework (ECAF). Scope’s credit ratings can be used to fulfil credit quality requirements of marketable assets that are eligible as collateral in Eurosystem monetary policy operations.

ECAI mapping

The three European supervisory authorities - the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) - provide a standardised framework for comparing ratings from different agencies. Scope’s ratings are included in this mapping and are on par with those of S&P, Moody’s and Fitch.

Sustainability
& Group Policies

Sustainability is an integral part of our corporate strategy. The Scope Group is guided by the principles of sustainability at all levels of its business operations. In our actions and activities with employees, customers, market participants and competitors, Scope acts according to the highest standards of ethical business conduct, which are embodied in our Group Code of Ethics. We also expect our suppliers to act in accordance with our corporate values.

As a responsible employer, Scope employees can choose from a range of diverse benefits. The Scope Group also aims at minimising our environmental impact. The greatest impact in our activities stems from business travel, but Scope also chooses sustainable office supplies whenever possible. As the group develops, our sustainability strategy will develop further.