ARC Ratings is an international credit rating agency headquartered in Lisbon.
It was created to be an alternative to the big three North American rating agencies S&P, Moody's and Fitch.
[1] They are registered with the European Securities and Markets Authority[2] and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA),[3] and have offices in London, Johannesburg, Harare, Lagos, London, Kuala Lumpur, Malé, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris and São Paulo.
In 1988, Companhia Portuguesa de Rating, S.A. was founded in Portugal, focusing on domestic assignments.
[4] In 2013, the company was renamed ARC Ratings, and a number of credit rating agencies joined forces into the new consortium: In 2015, ARC Ratings moved from being a consortium to a main shareholder structure, and claims to compete as a rating agency globally against the Big Three credit rating agencies.