NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GMI Ratings, the leading provider of research, data and analytics on environmental, social, governance (ESG) and forensic accounting risks affecting the performance of public companies, today introduced Accounting and Governance Risk (AGR) ratings on 9,000 companies in nearly 60 emerging market countries. GMI’s AGR ratings capture a variety of accounting irregularities and corporate governance weaknesses associated with negative events. With the addition of emerging market companies, GMI now offers AGR ratings on almost 29,000 companies worldwide.

Due to increasing market globalization, investors have a greater need for visibility into the accounting practices of companies in emerging market countries. Investors can integrate GMI’s AGR Emerging Market ratings into their financial models to identify and mitigate portfolio risks, deepen their quality of earnings analysis, prepare for analyst calls or meetings with portfolio companies and anticipate high-impact events that may not be detected by traditional methods.

“Our global investor clients have expressed a strong need for emerging market ratings, and we are pleased to provide them with comprehensive ratings and data to better understand the potential risks they may face,” said Agnes Grunfeld, managing director of AGR ratings at GMI Ratings.

GMI has established two emerging market regions to produce the AGR Emerging Market ratings; one includes companies applying International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the other includes companies that still use local Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Approximately 50 metrics are considered in arriving at AGR ratings for the emerging market regions, compared with about 60 for developed regions. These metrics can be classified into five high-level risk categories: revenue recognition, expense recognition, asset liability valuation, high-risk events and governance practices.

GMI’s AGR ratings are delivered via its web-based platform, GMI Analyst, which offers portfolio analysis, screening and benchmarking tools and event alerts. Clients may also receive GMI’s AGR ratings via direct data feeds, FactSet or other preferred desktop platforms. GMI’s AGR Emerging Market ratings will be available later this month. The company will hold a webinar on July 30 at 11:00 a.m. EDT to cover the AGR Emerging Market ratings methodology and coverage. To register for the webinar, please click here.

About GMI Ratings

GMI Ratings is the leading provider of research and ratings on environmental, social, governance (ESG) and accounting-related risks affecting the performance of public companies. The firm’s ESG ratings on 6,400 companies worldwide incorporate 150 ESG KeyMetrics® to help investors assess the sustainable investment value of corporations. The firm also provides Accounting and Governance Risk (AGR®) ratings on more than 29,000 public companies worldwide. Clients of GMI Ratings include leading institutional investors, banks, insurers, auditors, regulators and corporations seeking to incorporate accounting and ESG factors into risk assessment and decision-making. A signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), GMI Ratings was formed in 2010 through the merger of GovernanceMetrics International, The Corporate Library and Audit Integrity. In the 2012 Independent Research in Responsible Investment (IRRI) Survey conducted by Thomson Reuters Extel and SRI-CONNECT.com, GMI Ratings was named “The Best Independent Corporate Governance Research Provider.” For more information, please visit www.gmiratings.com.