CIS was established in 1987 in Hong Kong as the first regional rating agency in Asia, offering country sovereign risk ratings as well as issuer ratings on financial institutions in 10 countries. By 1993, CIS was covering 350 financial institutions in 16 countries. In 1994, CIS merged its financial institutions rating division into Thomson BankWatch (TBW), creating TBW’s Asia division. That division was the largest contributor to TBW’s extensive coverage, itself the largest in the world, of financial institutions in emerging markets. In 2000, TBW merged with Fitch, IBCA and Duff & Phelps to create what is now Fitch Ratings.

CIS has been pursuing its activities around cross-border Financial Risk Management as well as Valuation, by offering training, seminars and consulting in cross-border financial risk involving emerging markets. CIS recently started applying those skills, as well as over 20 years of experience in emerging markets, to the establishment of a specific, new methodology in Carbon Credit rating, pricing and valuations.

CIS is associated with Carbon Management Consulting Group (CMC), a specialist GHG project advisory firm. The skills needed for such delivery risk ratings are a blend of traditional commercial rating skills –brought by CIS and its 21 years of experience- and more specific technical and methodological skills only found in specialist firms like CMC.

Capital Information Services Ltd is headquartered in Hong Kong and holds affiliate offices with CMC Group in India, Brazil, Chile and France. Its founders are from Canada and from Europe.