Scope Group About

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

In 2012, the shareholders and management took the decision to establish Scope as the European alternative to the US rating agencies and thus, to expand into the credit rating segment. As a platform for developing this new business, the Scope Group acquired PSR Ratings, an ESMA-registered company specialised in analysing corporates in the automotive sector.

Scope has targeted international growth across all relevant rating classes. Scope hired several experienced and established analysts and managers between 2013 and 2015 to ensure the highest standards of quality and professionalism.

In mid-2016 Scope acquired FERI EuroRating Services AG, thereby becoming the uncontested market leader among European rating agencies.

Scope has raised funds from various institutional investors in Europe. In particular, the company secured funding from major institutional investors from four different countries in 2017 and 2018. The 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, as of June 2020, at its locations in Berlin, Paris, London, Milan, Madrid, Oslo and Frankfurt. Over the past five years, Scope has invested around EUR 80m in establishing a viable European competitor within the global rating industry. Scope's portfolio of services now comprises credit ratings, ESG analysis, fund analysis as well as customised services and solutions. Institutional investors have access to all rating services on Scope’s innovative digital platform ScopeOne.

Scope plans to gradually expand its business model worldwide. Scope’s growth strategy is based on catering to the needs of institutional investors. 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 Group Our story Scope Group Our story

Leadership

Executive Board

Florian Schoeller Scope Group Group CEO
Florian Schoeller
Group CEO
  • Entrepreneur & financial services expert
  • 15 years+ experience in asset-based finance
Christopher Hoffmann Scope Group Group CFO
Christopher Hoffmann
Group CFO
  • Former CFO at high-tech growth company va-Q-tec
  • Former growth investor at private equity firm Zouk Capital
  • Former management consultant at McKinsey & Company

Supervisory Board

Georg Graf Waldersee Scope Group Chair
Georg Graf Waldersee
Chair
  • Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Ernst & Young
  • Honorary member of executive, trustee and advisory boards of a diverse range of national and international organizations
Carsten Dentler Scope Group Deputy Chair
Carsten Dentler
Deputy Chair
  • former Member of the Executive Board of UBS Deutschland AG
  • former Member of the Executive Board of Morgan Stanley Bank AG
Sebastian Canzler Scope Group
Sebastian Canzler
Member
  • Managing Partner of Alpina Capital Partners
  • former member of the management board of AUCTUS Capital Partners
Eberhard Vetter Scope Group Member
Eberhard Vetter
Member
  • Head of Asset Management RAG-Stiftung
  • Member of various supervisory boards DIC ASSET AG, GEG AG (German estate group)

Administrative Board

Markus Schaber Scope Group
Markus Schaber
  • Managing Partner of investment advisory firm Integer Advisors
  • Former CEO European Datawarehouse
Dr Moritz Kraemer Scope Group
Dr Moritz Kraemer
  • Chief Economic Advisor of risk consultancy firm Acreditus
  • Former Chief Ratings Officer for Sovereigns at S&P Global Ratings

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 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.

General Partners
Florian Schoeller
Florian Schoeller
Stefan Quandt
Stefan Quandt
Stefan Quandt
Limited Partners
Institutional Investors
Industrie Holding

Ragstifftung

HDI/Talanx
Signal Iduna
Die Mobiliar
Foyer
HDI
Private shareholders
Approximately 80 renowned shareholders with distinguished backgrounds in finance and industry have invested in Scope, Europe’s leading rating firm.

Licences

ESMA registration

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).

ECAI status

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.

FINMA registration

Since 2019, Scope Ratings has obtained the registration with the Swiss financial market supervisory authority FINMA.

Public Affairs

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:

  • Our political outreach is transparent and consistent Example: Scope Group is registered in the EU's Transparency Register. This means that we observe the register’s code of conduct.
  • Our objectives are no secret Example: Scope participates in selected associations to promote the best interests of European issuers and investors in ensuring they have sovereignty in the financing of the European economy.
  • Our lobbying activities are in line with our sustainability strategy Example: Scope is the only credit rating agency which has been appointed member of the Sustainable Finance Committee of the Federal Government. We offer our expertise to advise the German government on the development and implementation of its Sustainable Finance Strategy.

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.

  • Code of Ethics
  • Confidential Information Management Policy
  • Defined Terms Glossary
  • Gifts, Entertainment andAnti-Bribery Policy
  • Whistleblower Policy

Locations & Contact

Presence in Europe Scope Group
Send Mail
+49 30 27891-0
Headquarters
Berlin
Lennéstraße 5
D-10785 Berlin
Phone +49 30 27891 0
Western Europe
PARIS
23 Boulevard des Capucines
FR - 75002 Paris
Phone +33 1 8288 5557
Southern Europe
MADRID
Edificio Torre Europa
Paseo de la Castellana 95
E-28046 Madrid
Phone +34 914 186 973
MILAN
Regus Porta Venezia
Via Nino Bixio, 31
20129 Milano MI
Phone +39 02 8295 8254
Central & Eastern Europe
FRANKFURT AM MAIN
Eurotheum Neue
Mainzer Straße 66-68
D-60311 Frankfurt am Main
Phone +49 69 66 77 389 0
Northwestern Europe
LONDON
111 Buckingham Palace Road
UK - London SW1W 0SR
Phone +44 20 3457 0444
Nordics & Baltics
OSLO
Haakon VII’s gate 6
N-0161 Oslo
Phone +47 21 62 31 42
Credit Analysis
Credit Analysis
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ESG Analysis
ESG Analysis
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Fund Analysis
Fund Analysis
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Services and Solutions
Services & Solutions
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