Our presence in Europe
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.
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’s three main operating units – including funds specialist Scope Analysis and Scope ESG - offer a full suite of financial and non-financial ratings.
Scope has raised financing from investors across Europe. The company secured funding from institutional investors from four countries in 2017 and 2018. RAG-Stiftung, one of Germany’s largest foundations, is the latest institutional investor to show its confidence in Scope’s growth by becoming a shareholder in 2019.
Scope employs almost 250 people at its locations in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London, Milan, Madrid, Oslo and Paris. Over the past five years, Scope’s shareholders have invested around EUR 80m in establishing a viable European competitor within the global rating industry. 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.
Scope plans to gradually expand its business model worldwide. Scope’s strategy is to cater to the needs of institutional investors with a growing range of innovative products and services. The group will apply for Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO) status in the United States as well as for Eurosystem Credit Assessment Framework (ECAF) status in Europe. The objective is to lead innovation in the provision of independent assessments, ratings and research in the financial industry.
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 Scope Group is based in Berlin and maintains offices in Paris, London, Milan, Madrid, Oslo and Frankfurt. The Scope Group has four fully owned operating companies: Scope Ratings, Scope Risk Solutions, Scope Analysis and Scope Investor Services.
The agency’s legal structure includes the separation of shareholder’s interests from strategic management. The Scope Foundation, one of three general partners, 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 the Quandt family, RAG-Stiftung, one of Germany’s largest foundations, and insurance companies from various European countries. In addition, numerous renowned shareholders with distinguished backgrounds in finance and industry have invested in the European rating alternative.
Scope Ratings, the subsidiary offering credit ratings, is a European rating agency registered with the Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). It is governed by the European Credit Rating Agency regulatory framework (Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 on credit rating agencies).
Since 2014, Scope Ratings was accredited as an External Credit Assessment Institution (ECAI). ECAIs play a major role in the standardized approach and securitization framework of prudential regulation. Therefore, their credit assessments must be mapped to the corresponding risk weights. The three European Supervisory Authorities, European Banking Authority (EBA), European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA), map all ECAIs in order to promote the consistent implementation of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR) throughout the European Union. The Supervisory Authorities have determined that Scope shares the same quality mapping as the main competitors.
Since 2019, Scope Ratings has obtained the registration with the Swiss financial market supervisory authority FINMA.
Scope seeks exchange with various stakeholders, including politics, the business world and society. We contribute our expertise, position ourselves and jointly find solutions for our sector, our business and our customers.
Scope communicates its interests in a transparent way. For us, responsible lobbying is part of our corporate strategy. This means:
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.
