Poland to launch its own rating agency in 2017

The Warsaw Stock Exchange, development fund PFR and credit information agency BIK will launch a credit rating agency next year, Warsaw bourse CEO Małgorzata Zalewska said at a press conference. “The agreement has already been negotiated, the signing ceremony will take place soon,” she said. The agency will rate SMEs listed on the WSE. "We want to not only help these companies but also increase the transparency of the equity and bond market, which will translate into trust of investors towards companies and towards the WSE," she said. The agency will also sell information, such as data from the social insurance board ZUS or tax offices to cover the costs. "According to our calculations, the agency will be profitable if tens of entities are rated,” Zalewska explained.