RATING©REPAIR

Germany’s possible loss of its AAA sovereign rating is increasingly being discussed in Berlin. Yet the political and financial narrative surrounding the issue appears remarkably reassuring. Is Germany being prepared psychologically for a downgrade before it actually happens? The possibility of Germany losing its top sovereign credit rating is no longer a purely theoretical issue. According to a…

“Return on Investment You Can Touch: The Premiere of the Immersive Finance Forum in VR” — this headline from altii GmbH captures the central idea behind the Immersive Finance Forum (IFF), which held its premiere on August 11, 2026. Instead of a conventional conference room or a webinar window, participants met inside a shared virtual environment on the Arthur VR platform, using Meta Quest 3…

In an economic world increasingly driven by artificial intelligence, algorithms, and automation, the decisive competitive advantage of companies is shifting radically. While domain expertise and technical skills now become obsolete faster than ever before or are directly assumed by AI systems, soft skills are moving to the center of strategic corporate management. However, how can personal,…

Record Business Performance SkillCampVR continues to strengthen its position as an innovative provider of digital training solutions. The company has achieved its strongest business performance to date, driven by significant revenue growth and a substantial improvement in its operating results. This progress reflects the effectiveness of its long-term strategy and demonstrates steady momentum…

Moody’s Corporation titled its second-quarter 2026 earnings release “Moody’s Corporation Delivers Exceptional Results for Second Quarter 2026.” While such wording is common in investor communications, the financial results deserve an objective assessment. A detailed review of the reported figures indicates that the company has strong quantitative evidence to support its characterization, although…

EthiFinance and ESG Book have announced their merger, creating what the companies describe as one of Europe’s largest independent providers of sustainability and credit ratings. The combined business aims to position itself as a European alternative in a market long dominated by global data and ratings providers. According to the companies, the merger brings together complementary strengths in…

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has imposed a fine of EUR 2.145 million on Moody’s Deutschland GmbH for four breaches of the EU Credit Rating Agencies Regulation (CRA Regulation). According to ESMA, Moody’s Germany failed to provide complete, accurate and up-to-date regulatory data to the European supervisor. Announcing the decision, ESMA Chair Verena Ross stated: “Moody’s…

The recent Moody’s Ratings Discussion Paper on Recovery Analysis for Corporate Debt Instruments represents an important initiative to reassess how recovery expectations should be analyzed in an increasingly complex credit environment. Rather than proposing methodological changes, Moody’s seeks market feedback on six broad areas that influence instrument-level recoveries across speculative-grade…

An analysis of the October 2023 edition from the perspective of today’s rating environment The October 6, 2023 edition of AM Best’s Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings remains a comprehensive and well-structured explanation of the agency’s rating philosophy, methodologies and governance. It clearly describes the rating process, rating scales, committee procedures, outlooks and modifiers, providing…

The proposed revisions to Scope Ratings’ Retail and Wholesale Rating Methodology are more than a technical refinement. While several changes are presented as methodological clarifications, some are likely to alter the relative credit assessment of specific retail business models. The overall effect is unlikely to be rating-neutral. Instead, the revisions will probably create both winners and…

In financial markets, disagreements are often interpreted as evidence that one side must be wrong. Yet some of the most important debates in modern finance emerge not from errors, but from fundamentally different ways of looking at the same phenomenon. The recent discussion surrounding structured finance ratings illustrates precisely this tension. In his essay “Rating Structured Securities –…

The traditional logic of sovereign credit ratings rests on a seemingly straightforward question: will a borrower be able and willing to service its debt in full and on time? Yet the geopolitical fragmentation of the global financial system increasingly demonstrates that this question can no longer be answered solely by analysing the debtor state itself. The legal and political environment of the…

The credit rating industry is entering a period of structural transformation that mirrors the changes currently unfolding across asset management. The debate is no longer about whether artificial intelligence will support rating analysts through incremental efficiency gains. Instead, the central question is whether AI will redefine the operational and intellectual foundation upon which credit…

On May 7, 2026, the X-NIGHT “Finance & XR” event will mark a notable moment in the evolution of financial industry dialogue by moving it into an immersive virtual space. Organized as part of IMMERSIVE X, the event brings together professionals from finance, technology, and innovation inside a fully virtual environment, where discussion and experience merge. Rather than relying solely on…

The “Capital Markets Day 26” at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management provides a comprehensive and highly structured view of a capital market ecosystem undergoing profound transformation. Across macroeconomic analysis, pension reform, market infrastructure, and digital innovation, a clear narrative emerges: capital markets are no longer primarily shaped by efficiency and globalization, but…

The discussion on responsible AI at the conference hosted by the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management highlighted an increasingly relevant question for capital markets: how AI governance frameworks influence the creditworthiness of large corporates. Using the example of the Mercedes-Benz Group AG, insights shared by Patrick Kappler-Henne illustrated how a structured and operationalized…

The conference “Finanzdienstleister der nächsten Generation,” hosted by the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, once again brought together senior leaders from banking, regulation, technology, and academia to explore how digital transformation is reshaping the financial sector. This year’s agenda focused strongly on the interplay between generative AI, cloud infrastructures, and governance…