Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

MSCI disclosed 30 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. MSCI reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2024

Risk Distribution

23% Finance & Corporate

23% Tech & Innovation

20% Ability to Sell

13% Legal & Regulatory

10% Production

10% Macro & Political

Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

2022

S&P500 Average

Sector Average

Risks removed

Risks added

Risks changed

MSCI Risk Factors

New Risk (0)

Risk Changed (0)

Risk Removed (0)

No changes from previous report

The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q4, 2024

Main Risk Category

Finance & Corporate

With 7 Risks

Finance & Corporate

With 7 Risks

Number of Disclosed Risks

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

Recent Changes

2Risks added

1Risks removed

17Risks changed

Since Dec 2024

2Risks added

1Risks removed

17Risks changed

Since Dec 2024

Number of Risk Changed

+13

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 2

+13

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 2

See the risk highlights of MSCI in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 30

Finance & Corporate

Total Risks: 7/30 (23%)Below Sector Average

Share Price & Shareholder Rights1 | 3.3%

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1

We cannot provide any guaranty that we will continue to repurchase shares of our common stock pursuant to our share repurchase program.

The timing, price and volume of repurchases of shares of our common stock are based on market conditions, relevant securities laws and other factors and may be made through open market repurchases or privately negotiated transactions, including, without limitation, accelerated share repurchase transactions, trading plans or derivative transactions, or otherwise. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 introduced an excise tax on share repurchases, which has increased our cost of share repurchases. Share repurchases are a component of our capital return strategy, which we fund with free operating cash flow and borrowings. However, we are not required to make any share repurchases under our share repurchase program. The share repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any set dollar amount or number of shares and may be modified, suspended, or terminated at any time without prior notice. The reduction or elimination of our share repurchase program could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Additionally, the existence of a share repurchase program could cause the market price of our common stock to be higher than it would be in the absence of such a program and could potentially reduce the market liquidity for our shares. As a result, any repurchase program may not ultimately result in enhanced value to our shareholders and may not prove to be the best use of our cash resources.

Accounting & Financial Operations1 | 3.3%

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1

Changed

Our goodwill and other intangible assets resulting from our acquisitions could be impaired as a result of future business conditions, requiring us to record substantial write-downs that would reduce our operating income and materially adversely affect our financial condition.

We evaluate the recoverability of recorded goodwill amounts annually or when evidence of potential impairment exists. Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. These impairment tests are based on several factors requiring management's judgment. In the recent past, we have completed a number of acquisitions. A prolonged or severe period of weakness in the business environment, financial markets, the performance of one or more of our recently acquired companies or reporting units or our common stock price, or a significant deviation from management's assumptions, could result in impairments of goodwill or intangible assets. Such impairments could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial position. In addition, if we are not successful in achieving anticipated revenue opportunities or operating efficiencies associated with acquisitions, our goodwill and intangible assets may become impaired.

Debt & Financing2 | 6.7%

Debt & Financing - Risk 1

Changed

Our indebtedness could materially adversely affect our cash flows and financial flexibility, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

For an overview of our current outstanding indebtedness, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." Although we believe that our cash flows will be sufficient to service our outstanding indebtedness, we cannot provide assurance that we will generate and maintain cash flows sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness. Our ability to make payments on indebtedness and to fund planned capital expenditures depends on our ability to generate and access cash in the future, which, in turn, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. If we are unable to pay our obligations as they mature, we may need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness on or before maturity. If we are unable to secure additional financing on terms favorable or acceptable to us or at all, we could also be forced to sell assets to make up for any shortfall in our payment obligations. If we cannot refinance or otherwise pay our obligations as they mature and fund our liquidity needs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, ability to obtain financing and ability to compete in our industry could be materially adversely affected. We may need or want to refinance our existing debt or incur additional debt from time to time to finance working capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions, or for other purposes. If we do so, we may be subject to less favorable terms. The risks related to our level of indebtedness could also intensify, including by making it difficult for us to optimally capitalize and manage the cash flow for our business or placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less indebtedness. Furthermore, the terms of our debt agreements include restrictive covenants that limit, among other things, our and our existing and future subsidiaries' financial flexibility. If we are unable to comply with the restrictions and covenants in our debt agreements, there could be a default that, in some cases, if continuing, could result in the accelerated payment of our debt obligations or the termination of borrowing commitments on the part of the lenders under our revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Credit Facility") under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the "Credit Agreement"), dated as of January 26, 2024, by and among the Company, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and the lenders from time to time party thereto, as amended, supplemented, modified or amended and restated from time to time. As of December 31, 2024, there was $336.9 million outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility. Any borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility under our Credit Agreement are primarily based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"), which replaced the USD London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") as the reference rate. Because SOFR differs fundamentally from LIBOR, there is no assurance that SOFR will perform in the same way as LIBOR would have performed at any time, and there is no guarantee that it is a comparable substitute for LIBOR. While we will continue to use SOFR, certain factors may impact SOFR, including factors causing SOFR to cease to exist, new methods of calculating SOFR to be established, or the use of alternative reference rates. These consequences are not entirely predictable and could have an adverse impact on our financing costs and our results of operations. Because we have incurred variable rate indebtedness, and we may incur additional variable rate indebtedness, we are subject to interest rate risk generally, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly. Reference rates used to determine the applicable interest rates for our variable rate debt have risen significantly over the past few years. If interest rates increase, the debt service obligations on such indebtedness will increase even if the amount borrowed remains the same, and our net income and cash flows, including cash available for servicing our indebtedness, will correspondingly decrease.

Debt & Financing - Risk 2

A change in our credit ratings could materially adversely affect our financial condition.

Our credit ratings are not recommendations to buy, sell or hold any of our common stock or outstanding debt. Any rating assigned to our debt is subject to ongoing evaluation by the credit rating agencies and could be lowered or withdrawn entirely at any time by any of the agencies if, in the agency's judgment, future circumstances relating to the basis of the rating so warrant. Such future circumstances include, but are not limited to, adverse changes to our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows, or revisions to our corporate strategy pertaining to capitalization or leverage. Any such downgrade or withdrawal could adversely affect the amount of capital we can access, as well as the terms of any financing we obtain. In addition, our debt covenants contain certain obligations that are triggered by a change in our credit rating, including obligations to make repurchase offers to the noteholders of our senior unsecured notes (the "Senior Notes") if we experience one of the specified kinds of changes in control and related lowering of our credit ratings, as detailed in the indentures governing our Senior Notes. Any adverse change in our credit rating could have a negative effect on our liquidity and future growth through transactions in which we rely on the ability to receive debt capital at an advantageous cost and on favorable terms. Accordingly, actual or anticipated changes or downgrades to or withdrawal of our credit ratings, including any announcement that our ratings are under review or have been assigned a negative outlook, could result in damage to our brand and reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and on the market value of our common stock and outstanding debt.

Corporate Activity and Growth3 | 10.0%

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1

Our growth and profitability may not continue at the same rate as we have experienced in the past for several reasons, including if our operating costs are higher than expected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We have experienced significant revenue and earnings growth since we began operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain the levels of growth and profitability that we have experienced in the past. Factors that could affect our financial performance include higher than expected operating costs, including increased compensation costs, regulatory compliance costs, occupancy costs, selling and marketing costs, investments in geographic expansion, market data costs, software license costs, communication costs, travel costs, application development costs, professional fees, costs related to information technology infrastructure, cloud usage and other IT costs. If we cannot adjust to these costs, our operating results may fluctuate significantly or our anticipated profitability may be reduced. Additionally, macroeconomic conditions such as inflation, interest rates and currency fluctuations may increase our operating costs and create uncertainty for our clients, placing downward pressure on their budgets and reducing demand for our products and services. Prolonged sales cycles or shifts in client priorities, including consolidation, restructuring or changes in investment strategies, may lead to lower client retention. Evolving market dynamics, including increased competition or slower adoption of new offerings, may further challenge our ability to meet growth expectations. Additionally, there can be no assurance that our investments in our product development, selling and marketing efforts, or capital return or allocation strategies will achieve anticipated returns or result in growth or profit margins comparable to those we have experienced in the past. If we fail to effectively manage these challenges, our operating results could fluctuate significantly, and our financial condition may be materially adversely affected.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2

Changed

Our business performance might not be sufficient for us to meet the full-year financial guidance or long-term targets that we provide publicly. Failure to meet our financial guidance or long-term targets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We provide certain full-year financial guidance and long-term targets to the public based upon our assumptions regarding our expected financial performance, which depend on numerous factors, including market conditions, client demand and the successful execution of our business strategy, that may not always prove to be accurate and may vary from actual results. In addition, uncertainty regarding macroeconomic factors such as inflation, interest rates, currency fluctuations or geopolitical instability could impact our ability to forecast our expected financial performance. Our ability to forecast financial performance may also be impacted by delays in product launches, slower-than-expected client adoption of our products and services or greater-than-anticipated cancellations. Revising financial guidance or long-term targets, or failing to meet the financial guidance or achieve the long-term targets that we provide, may negatively affect investor confidence, leading to volatility in the market value of our common stock and other securities. Additionally, repeated revisions or significant deviations from public guidance and long-term targets may harm our reputation and credibility with investors, analysts and other stakeholders, potentially impacting our access to capital markets or increasing our cost of capital.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3

Changed

If we are unable to successfully identify, execute and realize expected returns or synergies from acquisitions or strategic partnerships or investments, our financial results may be materially adversely affected.

An element of our growth strategy is growth through acquisitions, strategic partnerships and investments. There can be no assurance that we will be able to identify and execute transactions with suitable strategic partners, investment opportunities or attractive acquisition candidates at acceptable terms. In addition, strategic transactions may impact our cash position, and we may require additional debt or equity financing for future acquisitions and doing so may be made more difficult by the terms of our existing indebtedness. Our ability to achieve the expected returns or synergies from our acquisitions, strategic partnerships and investments depends, in part, on our ability to successfully integrate offerings, data, technology, functions and personnel from acquired businesses. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in integrating acquired businesses, that our acquired businesses will perform at the levels we anticipate or that our strategic partnerships and investments will advance our long-term growth strategy. Our past and future acquisitions, strategic partnerships and investments may subject us to unanticipated risks or liabilities, including the potential to disrupt our operations, or increase our reliance on third parties, which may result in future disruptions if those partnerships are unsuccessful or discontinued or the content or level of support provided by strategic partners is diminished. If we undertake multiple acquisitions or partnerships within a short period, the associated risks, such as integration challenges or operational disruptions, may increase. Failure to complete or execute these transactions successfully, or to identify growth opportunities, could harm our brand, reputation, and long-term growth, and materially impact our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Tech & Innovation

Total Risks: 7/30 (23%)Above Sector Average

Innovation / R&D1 | 3.3%

Innovation / R&D - Risk 1

Changed

To remain competitive, we must successfully develop new and enhanced products and services and effectively manage product transitions and integrations. Our failure to do so may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We operate in highly competitive markets that continually change to meet client needs. To remain competitive, we must continually introduce new products and services; enhance existing products and services delivered through our own systems and through third-party platforms; collect, organize, analyze and protect large amounts of information to generate insights; and effectively generate client demand for new and enhanced products and services. We may not be successful in developing, introducing, implementing, marketing, pricing, launching or licensing new products or enhancements on a timely or cost-effective basis or without impacting the stability and efficiency of existing products and systems. Any new products and enhancements may not adequately meet the requirements of the marketplace or industry standards or achieve market acceptance. The process of developing and enhancing our products and services is complex and may become increasingly complex and expensive in the future, including due to the introduction of new technology, the costs of our workforce and the expectations of our clients. This process often requires effective collaboration across various functions and product lines, and ineffective or insufficient collaboration may harm our ability to meet our business objectives. In addition, our reputation could be harmed if we are perceived as not innovating rapidly enough to meet the changing needs of investors or their advisors. These changing needs include a greater expectation that information be delivered with a higher degree of customization and service quality. We must make long-term investments and commit significant resources before knowing whether these investments will eventually result in new or enhanced products and services that satisfy our clients' needs and generate adequate revenues. We also incur costs to integrate existing products and services and transition clients to enhanced products and services, which also present execution risks and could lead to price reductions or other concessions. If we are unable to effectively manage the development of new or enhanced products and services, we may not be able to remain competitive and our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Trade Secrets1 | 3.3%

Trade Secrets - Risk 1

Legal protections for our intellectual property rights and other rights may not be sufficient or available to protect our competitive advantages. Third parties may infringe on our intellectual property rights or we may infringe upon their intellectual property rights, which, in each case, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Failure to protect our intellectual property adequately could harm us, our brand or reputation and affect our ability to compete effectively. We rely primarily on a combination of trade secrets, patents, copyrights, trademarks, laws regarding unfair competition and the misappropriation of intellectual property, technical measures and contractual protections, to obtain, maintain, protect, defend and enforce our intellectual property rights, including our proprietary rights in our content, products and services. However, these measures may not prevent unauthorized use, misappropriation or theft of our intellectual property, nor ensure that third parties from whom we license or acquire technology have adequately protected their rights. Intellectual property laws in various jurisdictions are subject to change or varying interpretations at any time and could further restrict our ability to protect our intellectual property rights. The enforceability of intellectual property rights and obligations under our agreements, as well as the availability of remedies in the event of a breach, may vary in the different jurisdictions in which our clients and employees are located. There is no guarantee that any intellectual property rights that we may obtain will protect our competitive advantages, nor is there any assurance that our competitors will not infringe upon our rights. Furthermore, our competitors may independently develop and protect products and services that are the same or similar to ours. We may be unable to detect the unauthorized use or disclosure of our intellectual property or confidential information, or to take the necessary steps to enforce our rights. In addition, our products and services, or third-party products that we provide to our clients, could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. Pursuing intellectual property claims to preserve our intellectual property rights or responding to intellectual property claims, regardless of merit, can be costly, time-consuming, and uncertain. From time to time, we have received, and may continue to receive, third-party claims alleging infringement of their intellectual property rights, which would likely be costly to defend and could require us to pay damages, limit our future use of certain technologies, harm our brand and reputation, increase our costs and prevent us from offering some services or products. We may need to settle such claims on unfavorable terms, pay damages, stop providing or using the affected products or services, undertake workarounds or substantial reengineering of our products or services or enter into royalty or licensing agreements, which may include terms that are not commercially acceptable to us. From time to time, we receive notices calling upon us to defend partners, clients, suppliers or distributors against third-party claims under indemnification clauses in our contracts. If any of these risks materialize, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. There have been a number of lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions, including in the U.S. and Germany, regarding whether issuers of indexed investment products are required to obtain a license from the index owner or whether issuers may issue investment products based on publicly available index-level data without obtaining permission from (or making payment to) the index owner. The outcome of these cases depends on a number of factors, including the governing law, the amount of information about the index available without a license and the other particular facts and circumstances of the cases. In some instances, the results have been unfavorable to the index owner. Unfavorable rulings that a license is not required to issue investment products linked to indexes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. It might also lead to changes in current industry practices such that we would no longer make our index level data publicly available, such as via our website or news media, on a timely basis. In addition, changes to regulatory requirements, including those governing intellectual property rights, could impact our ability to protect or enforce rights relating to our proprietary content and products, necessitate enhancements to meet new standards or affect client demand for certain products. Any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Cyber Security1 | 3.3%

Cyber Security - Risk 1

Cyber-attacks or other security incidents and the failure of security plans, systems and procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our operations rely on the secure collection, retrieval, storage, transmission and other processing of confidential, sensitive, proprietary and other types of data and information that is managed internally and with third-party vendors and service providers. We and our vendors and service providers are subject to security risks, including cyber-attacks and other security incidents, such as phishing scams or other social engineering attacks, hacking, tampering, intrusions, viruses, malware (including ransomware) and denial-of-service attacks. Cybersecurity risks also may derive from fraud or malice on the part of our employees or third parties, or may result from human error, software bugs, server malfunctions, software or hardware failure or other technological failure. The use of mobile and cloud technologies, as well as remote work arrangements, may heighten these risks. In addition, failure by our clients, third-party vendors or service providers to notify us of cybersecurity incidents in a timely manner could lead to unauthorized access to our systems and data, resulting in material adverse effects on our business, operations, and financial results. We may be exposed to more targeted and more sophisticated cyber-attacks and other security incidents because of our role or prominence in the global marketplace, including our handling of client portfolio data, the composition of our indexes and ESG ratings. Additionally, although we conduct due diligence during acquisition processes, acquired businesses may not have invested as heavily in security measures and technology, and this may introduce additional security risk. In the past, we have experienced cyber-attacks of varying degrees, including denial-of-service attacks. There can be no assurance that there will not be material adverse effects relating to these types of incidents in the future, in particular as these types of incidents have generally become increasingly frequent, sophisticated, difficult to detect and difficult to successfully defend against, and we may see their frequency increased, and effectiveness enhanced, by the use of AI. As these threats continually evolve, we may be required to devote additional resources to modify or enhance our operational or security systems and networks and our cybersecurity program. Our security measures or those of our third-party providers may prove insufficient. Cyber-attacks, security incidents or third-party reports of perceived security vulnerability to our systems or networks, even if no intrusion has occurred, could damage our brand and reputation, result in litigation, regulatory actions, investigations, sanctions or other penalties, lead to loss of client confidence, which would harm our ability to retain clients and gain new clients, and result in financial losses. Any of the foregoing could lead to unexpected or higher than estimated costs. We may also incur additional costs as we enhance and refine our internal processes and IT controls, policies, and procedures.

Technology4 | 13.3%

Technology - Risk 1

Issues related to the use and development of AI could result in reputational harm, competitive harm, regulatory scrutiny or legal liability, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We currently incorporate, and expect to continue to incorporate, AI technologies, including generative AI, into our products and operations, and these uses of AI may become significantly more important over time. There are significant and evolving risks involved in utilizing AI, and there is no assurance that our usage of AI will help our products and operations become more effective, efficient or profitable, or otherwise achieve our intended outcomes. Our use of AI will require additional resources and costs to develop and maintain products, comply with emerging regulations, address ethical and reputational considerations, and manage technical, operational and competitive risks. Our competitors or other third parties may incorporate AI into their products and operations more quickly or more successfully than us, which could impair our ability to compete effectively. Additionally, the models underlying our use of AI technologies may be incorrectly or inadequately designed or implemented. Further, if the content, analyses, or recommendations produced by AI are, or are perceived to be biased, inaccurate, misleading, poor-quality, unethical or otherwise deficient or flawed, any of which may not be easily detectable, our business may be adversely affected. Client or third-party use of AI could potentially result in reduction or replacement of our products or solutions. The use of AI may involve third-party information with unclear intellectual property rights or interests. If we do not have sufficient rights to use the data or other material or content that AI technologies utilize or generate, we may incur liability through the violation of applicable laws and regulations, third-party intellectual property, privacy or other rights or contracts to which we are a party. In addition, intellectual property ownership rights, including copyright, of generative and other AI output, have not been fully interpreted by courts or regulations. The use of AI may also result in cyber-attacks or other security incidents, including those that implicate confidential or personal information (e.g., propriety, third-party, employee or client information). The use of third-party AI by our employees, contractors or partners could also result in the inadvertent disclosure of confidential or personal information, risking our intellectual property rights, competitive position and reputation. Laws and regulations applicable to AI, including intellectual property, data privacy and security, consumer protection, competition and equal opportunity laws, continue to develop and may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Because AI is complex and rapidly developing, it is not possible to predict all of the legal, operational or technological risks that may arise relating to the use of AI. These risks include the possibility of enhanced governmental or regulatory scrutiny, litigation or other legal liability, compliance issues, ethical concerns, negative consumer perceptions, confidentiality or security risks, as well as other factors. Any of these issues could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Technology - Risk 2

Changed

Our use of open source code could introduce security vulnerabilities, impose delays or costs, result in litigation or impose conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our products or services. Such incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We rely on open source code to develop software and to incorporate it in our products and internal systems. The use of open source code may entail greater risks than third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or other protections regarding infringement claims, the quality of the code or the security of the code. Certain open source licenses provide that if we combine our proprietary code with open source code and distribute it in a certain manner, we could be required to release the source code to the public, potentially allowing our competitors to create similar products and putting us at a competitive disadvantage. Additionally, the terms of many open source code licenses are ambiguous and have not been interpreted by U.S. courts, increasing the risk of unanticipated restrictions or conditions on our use of such software. Therefore, we could be required to seek licenses from third parties on terms that are not commercially feasible, to make portions of our proprietary code publicly available to re-engineer our products or systems, to discontinue licensing certain products, or to take other remedial action that could divert resources. We could also be subject to suits by parties claiming breach of the terms of licenses, which could be costly for us to defend. Any of these requirements could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Technology - Risk 3

Changed

Any failures, disruptions, instability or vulnerabilities in our information technology architecture, platforms, vendors and service providers, production and delivery systems, software, code, networks, the internet or other systems may disrupt our operations, cause our products or services to be unavailable or fail and impose delays or additional costs, or impose conditions or restrictions on our products or services and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We depend heavily on the capacity, reliability and security of our information technology systems, networks and platforms and their components, including our data centers, cloud providers and other third-party vendors and service providers, production and delivery systems as well as the internet, to create and deliver our products and service our clients. Our employees also depend on these systems, networks, platforms and providers for internal use. Factors affecting the availability of our products and services and our information technology systems and networks, such as loss of service, operational failures, human error, terrorist attacks, geopolitical instability, climate-related events (e.g., hurricanes, floods or other natural disasters), outbreak of pandemic or contagious disease, power loss, telecommunications failures, technical breakdowns, internet failures or cyber-attacks, could impair our or our third-party service provider systems' operations or interrupt their availability for extended periods of time or impact the availability of our or our third-party service provider's personnel. Our ability to effectively use the internet, including for remote work, may also be impaired due to infrastructure failures, service outages, cyber attacks or increased government regulation. Disruptions, failures, or slowdowns in our operations, or those of our third-party vendors and service providers, could reduce confidence in our products and services, damage our brand and reputation, result in litigation, or negatively affect our ability to distribute products to clients, including managed services or real-time index data. While we generally perform cybersecurity due diligence on key vendors and service providers, our ability to monitor their practices is limited, and vulnerabilities or incidents affecting their software, systems, or networks could introduce risks to our operations. Additionally, newly acquired businesses may not have invested in technology and resilience to the same extent as we have, and integration of their systems could introduce vulnerabilities that impact us. There is no assurance that we will be able to successfully defend against such disruptions or that our disaster recovery or business continuity plans, or those of our third-party service providers (including cloud providers), will be effective in mitigating the risks and associated costs, which could be exacerbated by our shift to an increasingly remote working environment. While we maintain insurance coverage intended to address certain aspects of cybersecurity and data protection risks, such coverage may not include, or may not be sufficient to cover, all or a majority of any costs or other losses resulting from cyber-attacks or other security incidents. Any of these factors could have a material impact on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Technology - Risk 4

Changed

Migration of our applications, systems, processes and infrastructure to new technologies, providers, processes, platforms or applications could result in unanticipated failures, interruptions or delays in the performance and delivery of our products, services and support. Such incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In the past, we have experienced interruptions and delays in the performance and delivery of certain products, including after we migrated applications and infrastructure to new data centers or other network infrastructure. While we have taken steps to mitigate such interruptions and delays, we cannot provide assurance that they will not occur again as part of future migration to new technologies, applications or processes (e.g., cloud migration), even after extensive testing, or if we experience significant growth of our customer base or increases in the number of products or services or in the speed at which we provide products and services. Such disruptions may result in cancellations and reduced demand for our products and services, resulting in decreased revenues, or in cost increases relating to our use of power and data storage. After adopting new technologies, applications and processes, we may experience unanticipated interruption and delay in the performance or delivery of certain products, services or client support. We may also incur increased operating expenses to recover data, repair, replace or remediate systems, equipment or facilities, and to protect ourselves from such disruptions. Accordingly, any significant failures, disruptions or instability affecting our information technology platform, providers, production and delivery systems, applications, processes or the internet could negatively affect our ability to distribute products and service our clients, damage our brand and reputation and result in litigation, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Ability to Sell

Total Risks: 6/30 (20%)Above Sector Average

Competition1 | 3.3%

Competition - Risk 1

Changed

Competition and financial and budgetary pressures affecting clients may cause price reductions or loss of market share, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Competition exists across all markets for our products and services. Our competitors range from large companies with substantial resources to small, single-product businesses that are highly specialized. Larger competitors may have access to more resources and may be able to achieve greater economies of scale, and specialized competitors may be more effective in devoting technical, marketing and financial resources to compete with respect to a particular product or service. Some competitors may offer price incentives or different pricing structures that are more attractive to clients. The competitive landscape may also experience consolidation, which results in a narrower pool of competitors that are better capitalized or that are able to gain a competitive advantage through synergies. Barriers to entry may be low or declining in many markets, including for single-purpose product companies, supporting new competitors. For example, more broker-dealers, data suppliers, credit rating agencies or other market participants or vendors could begin developing their own content such as proprietary risk analytics, sustainability and climate data or indexes. Factors such as increases in the availability of free or relatively inexpensive information through internet sources or other low-cost delivery systems, advances in cloud computing, increased use of open source code, the ability of machine learning and other AI to process and organize large data sets, as well as client development of proprietary applications, have further reduced barriers to entry in some cases. Such developments may over time reduce the demand for, or clients' willingness to pay for, certain of our products and services. We may experience pressures to reduce our fees, prolonged selling and renewal cycles, reduced client spending and increased cancellation rates on account of financial and budgetary pressures affecting our clients, including those resulting from weak or volatile economic or market conditions, the duration and long-term economic and societal consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic,geopolitical conflicts and the inflationary environment, which may lead certain clients to reduce their overall spending on our products or services, including by seeking similar products or services at a lower cost than what we are able to provide, by consolidating their spending with fewer providers, by consolidating with other clients or by self-sourcing their information and analytical needs. Accordingly, competitive and market pressures may result in fewer clients or reduced sales, including as a result of client closures and consolidations, price reductions, prolonged selling and renewal cycles and increased operating costs, such as for marketing and product development, which could, individually or in the aggregate, result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Demand2 | 6.7%

Demand - Risk 1

Cancellations or reductions by our clients could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

A material portion of our revenues is concentrated in some of our largest clients. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, our largest client organization by revenue, BlackRock, accounted for 10.2% of our consolidated operating revenues. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, BlackRock accounted for 9.8% of our consolidated operating revenues. Our revenue growth depends on our ability to obtain new clients, quickly onboard our clients and deploy our products and services to them, sell additional services to existing clients and achieve and sustain a high level of renewal rates with respect to our existing licenses. Failure to achieve one or more of these objectives could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. A client's activity with us may decrease for a variety of reasons, including the client's level of satisfaction with our products and services; the effectiveness of our support services; the pricing of our products and services; the pricing and quality of competing products or services; client events such as mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, or business closures; or the effects of changes in economic conditions and the global capital markets. In addition, demand for our products may be impacted by cyclical market changes, regulatory uncertainty and political scrutiny, which could negatively affect client adoption and our financial performance. If we experience significant cancelations or reductions in licenses, either individually or in the aggregate, and we are unsuccessful in replacing those licenses, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Demand - Risk 2

Our clients may become more self-sufficient, which may reduce demand for our products or services and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our clients may internally develop certain functionality contained in the products or services they currently license from us. For example, a number of our clients have obtained regulatory clearance to create indexes for use as the basis of ETFs that they manage and others have invested in direct indexing strategies, allowing investors to purchase individual stocks making up an index rather than investing in a fund or ETF. Similarly, some of our clients who currently license our risk or sustainability and climate data to analyze their portfolio risk may develop their own tools to collect data and assess risk or embed sustainability considerations into their investment processes, making our products or services unnecessary for them. A growing number of asset managers and investment banks, in partnership with index providers that offer calculation agent services, or acting together with an industry group or association, have created or may create their own range of proprietary indexes, which they use to manage funds or as the basis of ETFs, structured products or over-the-counter derivatives. To the extent that our clients become more self-sufficient, demand for our products or services may be reduced, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Sales & Marketing2 | 6.7%

Sales & Marketing - Risk 1

Changed

Our clients that pay us a variable license fee (e.g., based on the assets under management or total expense ratio or trading volumes of an indexed investment product) may seek to negotiate a lower fee structure or may lower the total expense ratio of such products or may cease using our indexes, which could limit the growth of or decrease our revenues from asset-based or other variable fees and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

A portion of our revenues are from asset-based fees or fees based on trading volumes and some of these revenue streams are concentrated in some of our largest clients, including BlackRock, and in our largest market, the U.S. Our clients may seek for a variety of reasons to negotiate to pay us lower asset-based fee percentages, which are sometimes calculated as a percentage of the relevant product's total expense ratio ("TER"). Additionally, competition is intense among our clients that offer or manage indexed investment products, including ETFs, and low fees are one of the competitive differentiators. Where an investment product's TER determines our fees, a reduction in the TER may negatively impact our revenues. Additionally, our clients, including our largest clients, may seek to renegotiate existing asset-based fee models with the objective of achieving lower fees, either on a rate basis or in aggregate, which may have a negative impact on our operating revenues. Moreover, clients that have licensed our indexes to serve as the basis of indexed investment products are generally not required to continue to use our indexes. Clients that license our indexes to serve as the basis for listed futures and options contracts might also discontinue such contracts. Additionally, we have a differentiated licensing strategy for our indexes and from time to time experience faster growth from lower fee products, resulting in a lower average asset-based fee percentage from indexed investment products. While we aim to maximize the price and volume tradeoff over the long-term, there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so. Results for any given quarter could be materially adversely affected by stronger growth in assets in indexed investment products with lower-than-average fees not sufficiently offset by growth in assets in indexed investment products with higher-than-average fees. Our asset-based fees could dramatically decrease, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Finally, to the extent that multiple investment products are based on the same index, (i) assets under management in one product could shift to products that pay MSCI lower fee levels, (ii) the products could compete for the same assets such that none of the products becomes large enough to be successful or sustained, or (iii) the failure or discontinuance of one product (e.g., derivatives used for hedging) could have a detrimental effect on the use of the other products (e.g., ETFs).

Sales & Marketing - Risk 2

Added

Complex relationships with clients, competitors, investors and distributors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We have complex relationships with various parties, including clients, shareholders, distributors of our content and competitors, which may present potential conflicts of interest that could adversely affect our business. Certain of our clients are also significant shareholders, competitors or distributors of our content, including some of our largest clients, such as BlackRock. This dynamic may introduce competitive pressures that could cause these clients to terminate all or a portion of the relationship and result in a loss of business or reduced revenue or influence our strategic decisions, such as whether to prioritize the client relationship over the development or enhancement of products that directly compete with those clients' offerings. Some of our products also relate to these parties. For example, our ESG ratings and other products assess companies, including clients, shareholders, distributors of our content and competitors. Additionally, our indexes may include or exclude companies that are clients, shareholders, distributors of our content or competitors. These determinations may create perceptions of bias, lack of independence or influence over our editorial decisions. Allegations of such influence or bias could undermine the perceived integrity of our products, leading to reputational harm, increased regulatory scrutiny or lower demand for our products. While we have implemented policies and procedures designed to identify, mitigate and manage potential conflicts of interest, we may not be effective in all circumstances. The inability to adequately address these issues could lead to the loss of key clients, distributors or partners; diminished revenues; or harm to our reputation. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Brand / Reputation1 | 3.3%

Brand / Reputation - Risk 1

Added

MSCI is exposed to potential reputational and credibility concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

To the extent that any of MSCI's operating segments, product lines or MSCI as a whole suffers a reputational or other loss in credibility, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Factors that have affected or could affect our credibility include: real or perceived conflicts of interest; the adequacy, completeness and editorial independence of our index composition and ESG rating and assessment processes and decisions; the influence, attempted influence or appearance of influence of third parties, including governments, politicians, political and other advocacy groups and large investors or asset owners, on our editorial decisions; the performance of companies relative to their ESG ratings, index inclusion, risk characteristics or other MSCI content or analytics; the timing and nature of changes to our indexes or ESG ratings and assessments; disagreement with our methodologies or models, including for calculating indexes, value-at-risk and other risk measures, climate metrics, and ESG ratings and assessments, data, information and analysis; and the accuracy and completeness of our or third-party data, including data voluntarily disclosed by the investment community, corporate issuers and others that is utilized in our products. We may also face public or media scrutiny concerning politically or socially sensitive topics, which could lead to negative media coverage, reputational harm or increased government or regulatory scrutiny, even if such claims lack merit. Views expressed by the media, politicians, other government officials or representatives, regulators, political and other advocacy groups or other third parties regarding our company, our industry or our role in the investment process-including allegations or suggestions that we have biases, lack independence or encourage investment in, or divestment from, certain companies, countries or regions or in support of certain causes or trends-and the impact of political and geo-political tensions relating to countries, industries, companies or issues relevant to our products and services, such as the inclusion of certain Chinese companies in our indexes or the focus on ESG or sustainable investing and climate considerations, could negatively impact our reputation and credibility. Such negative attention or scrutiny could also increase the risk of shareholder activism, including proposals seeking changes to our governance practices, corporate strategy or product offerings. In some cases, our sustainability and climate offerings, such as our country and company ESG ratings, our controversies assessments or our Net-Zero Tracker, may insert MSCI into a public spotlight or a public debate regarding the environment, climate change, social concerns, political issues, geo-political matters, governance practices or corporate responsibility. Scrutiny around ESG and climate topics has increased, with anti-ESG and anti-climate advocacy groups, political leaders and industry organizations criticizing ESG or climate-focused products and services. Anti-ESG and anti-climate sentiment may impact demand for our products, limit our ability to retain clients or lead to heightened scrutiny of our methodologies or content. Additionally, legislation, litigation, investigations or regulatory action or enforcement activities aimed at curbing ESG or climate investing practices or penalizing institutions perceived as prioritizing ESG or climate considerations could further increase reputational risks to us and reduce the marketability of our products. In addition, increased regulatory and political focus on ESG and climate-related practices has impacted our clients. Certain of our clients use our ESG and climate data, tools and indexes to benchmark ESG investment performance and to construct and manage ETFs and other indexed financial products. These institutional investors are increasingly the subject of additional disclosure requirements, as well as media and political scrutiny, that are focused on preventing "greenwashing" (i.e., holding out an investment product as having "green" or "sustainable" characteristics when this is not, in fact, the case). Our products, and the use of our products by these institutions, could draw MSCI into debates about and criticisms of greenwashing. Factors affecting our reputation and credibility also include perception of our own sustainability and corporate responsibility policies or practices, including as a result of failure to meet publicly disclosed sustainability-related targets or goals, failure to comply with mandatory sustainability disclosure requirements or misalignment with evolving market standards or the methodologies and standards used in our own products and ESG ratings. Certain of our own corporate responsibility policies and practices are based on third-party frameworks and stakeholder expectations, and our adherence to these frameworks may change due to business developments, policy changes or other factors, drawing scrutiny of our corporate responsibility policies and practices. Scrutiny of MSCI competitors could also damage the reputation of the industries that we operate in and, therefore, harm the reputation of the Company or certain of our products. In addition, we believe that MSCI's corporate culture and reputation positively contribute to our ability to attract and retain talent, and that reputational damage could negatively affect our hiring, employee engagement and retention. Damage to our reputation, brand or credibility could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Legal & Regulatory

Total Risks: 4/30 (13%)Below Sector Average

Regulation2 | 6.7%

Regulation - Risk 1

Changed

Failure to comply with laws, rules or regulations, or the introduction of new or revised laws, rules or regulations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Failure to comply with any applicable laws, rules, orders, regulations, codes or other requirements could subject us to litigation, regulatory actions, sanctions, fines or other penalties, as well as damage our brand and reputation. The financial services industry, within which we and many of our clients operate, is subject to extensive laws, rules and regulations, with direct regulation of certain of our products in some jurisdictions. These laws, rules and regulations are complex, evolve frequently and sometimes quickly and unexpectedly, and are subject to administrative interpretation and judicial construction in ways that are difficult to predict, and could materially adversely affect our business or our clients' businesses. Additionally, we may be required to comply with multiple and potentially conflicting laws, rules or regulations in various jurisdictions, which could, individually or in the aggregate, result in materially higher compliance costs to us. Laws, rules or regulations could require changes to the way we license and price our products and services. In addition, various government and regulatory bodies from time to time may make inquiries and conduct investigations into our compliance with applicable laws and regulations and our business practices, including those related to our regulated activities and other matters. Changes to the laws, rules and regulations applicable to our clients could limit our clients' ability to use our products and services or could otherwise impact our clients' demand for our products and services. As such, to the extent our clients become subject to certain laws, rules or regulations, we may incur higher costs in connection with modifying our products or services. If laws, rules or regulations restrict our clients' or vendors' ability or willingness to provide data to us, or impose new compliance obligations or restrictions on how we access and use such data, our ability to continue to produce products and services, or the costs associated with doing so, could be negatively affected. The regulatory requirements and regulatory developments that most significantly impact us are described below: - Regulation Affecting Benchmarks. Compliance with regulations affecting benchmarks or their uses, as well as related technical standards and guidance, could negatively impact our business and results of operations. Benchmarks, which include the indexes we provide, are subject to regulations that may require changes in our business practices, product offerings or our ability to offer indexes in certain jurisdictions. Such impacts could include, without limitation, increased costs, including direct regulatory costs; diminished intellectual property rights; constraints on the fees we charge; constraints on our ability to meet contractual commitments with data providers; or constraints on how we offer our products. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our index products. For example, the EU Benchmark Regulation ("EU BMR") and UK Benchmarks Regulation ("UK BMR") impose distinct requirements. Following Brexit, the EU BMR provides a transition period until December 31, 2025, allowing EU-regulated entities to use benchmarks from non-EU administrators, while the UK BMR extends this period to December 31, 2030 for non-UK administrators. Diverging interpretations or future amendments to these regulations may increase compliance burdens and operational complexity. Additionally, guidance issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority ("ESMA") may affect benchmark administrators and their clients. For instance, the ESMA Guidelines on ETFs and other UCITS Issues impose disclosure requirements for indexes used in UCITS funds, such as making index constituents and their respective weightings easily accessible free of charge to investors on a delayed and periodic basis. These requirements could increase the compliance obligations for benchmark administrators, affect the eligibility of certain indexes for use in UCITS funds and influence the demand for specific products. Globally, the benchmark industry faces heightened scrutiny and potential new regulations. The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) has recommended that benchmark administrators voluntarily publicly disclose whether they comply with its principles for financial benchmarks. Other jurisdictions have also indicated they may consider potential benchmark regulation or conduct reviews of the benchmark industry. For instance, the EU is amending the scope of the EU BMR and regulation is being considered or developed in India and South Africa. Heightened scrutiny and regulatory attention on benchmarks and index providers from regulators, policymakers, and the media in the EU, U.S., and other regions could result in negative publicity or comments about the role or influence of our company or the index industry, which could harm our reputation and credibility. Further, laws, rules or regulations affecting users of our indexes, such as sanctions that prohibit users of our indexes from investing or transacting in securities included in our indexes, can have an indirect impact on our indexes, including their construction and composition. - ESG Ratings. The EU has adopted a new regulation requiring market participants providing ESG ratings in the EU to become authorized and supervised by ESMA, and certain of our ESG products are in scope for the regulation. A number of other jurisdictions, including the UK, Japan, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, India and Singapore, have completed, or are in the process of developing, legislation and/or codes of conduct for ESG rating and/or data providers. Regulatory regimes or initiatives relating to ESG ratings and data providers could impose significant compliance burdens and costs on our ESG and Climate products and services. Furthermore, the potential for inconsistent or conflicting requirements across jurisdictions may create implementation challenges, increase compliance risks and result in inadvertent noncompliance, which could materially impact our operations and reputation. - Data Privacy and AI Regulation. Laws, rule, regulations and standards governing privacy, data collection, and AI impact our ability to collect, manage, store, and use personal data and other information. We operate across jurisdictions with differing and often conflicting data privacy laws, including extraterritorial requirements, which continue to expand in scope and complexity. Compliance with these laws requires significant resources to ensure data security and regulatory adherence. Furthermore, we frequently have privacy compliance requirements as a result of our contractual obligations with counterparties. Emerging AI regulations, such as the European Union's Artificial Intelligence Act, introduce new requirements for transparency, fairness and oversight of AI systems. These regulations may directly affect our operations, including the use of AI in hiring, employee performance monitoring and client-facing applications, by requiring audits, documentation and human oversight. Compliance with evolving AI regulatory frameworks may increase costs, impact our product development, restrict the use of certain applications of AI and expose us to liability for violations of applicable laws, regulations or contracts. - Investment Advisers Act. Except for certain products provided by MSCI ESG Research LLC and certain of its designated foreign affiliates, we believe our products and services do not constitute or provide investment advice as contemplated by the Advisers Act. See Part I, Item 1. "Business-Regulation" above. The Advisers Act imposes fiduciary duties, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, disclosure requirements, limitations on agency and principal transactions between an adviser and advisory clients, as well as general anti-fraud prohibitions. Changes in legal or regulatory requirements or changes to our product lines could require additional entities in our corporate family to register as investment advisers or comply with similar requirements in other jurisdictions. In the U.S., the SEC has sought public comment on the role of certain third-party information providers to the asset management industry, including index providers and model providers, and whether information providers are acting as investment advisers under the Advisers Act. If our index business were to be deemed an investment adviser, we could be deemed a fiduciary to our clients, increasing the costs and complexity of our business. This could also conflict with obligations under other benchmark regulations. The SEC has also proposed a rule that would prohibit SEC-registered investment advisers from outsourcing certain services or functions to service providers that do not meet minimum due diligence, monitoring and record-keeping requirements, and index providers, among others, are identified as service providers that could fall within the scope of the proposed requirements. If adopted, this rule could result in additional compliance obligations for our business. Our ability to comply with applicable laws and regulations depends on maintaining an effective compliance program, which can be time-consuming and costly, as well as on our ability to attract and retain qualified compliance personnel. In some instances, in connection with the provision of data and services, we have incurred additional costs to implement processes and systems at the request of our clients to ensure their use of our data complies with applicable financial regulations. For example, a U.S. Executive Order prohibiting many of our clients from transacting in the securities of certain Chinese companies resulted in our decision to remove these companies from relevant indexes to support our clients' needs for indexes to be replicable in investment portfolios. To the extent that our clients are subject to increased regulation, we may be indirectly impacted, leading to higher costs that could reduce the profitability of certain products. Additionally, there has been increased attention on and scrutiny of index providers and ESG ratings and data providers by politicians, regulators, policymakers and the media. This heightened attention may result in new or expanded regulations, investigations or other regulatory actions, which could increase compliance costs, impose operational constraints, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Regulation - Risk 2

We may be exposed to liabilities as a result of failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to our global operations, including anti-corruption laws, and any determination that we violated these laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are subject to complex laws and regulations that are applicable to our global operations, such as laws and regulations governing economic and trade sanctions, tariffs, embargoes, anti-boycott restrictions and anti-corruption and other similar laws and regulations. Any determination that we have violated these laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We conduct business in countries and regions that are less developed than the U.S. and in some cases are generally recognized as potentially more corrupt business environments. Our activities in these countries create the risk of unauthorized payments or offers of payments by one of our employees or agents that could be in violation of various anti-corruption laws including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the "FCPA") and the UK Bribery Act 2010. Our existing safeguards and policies and any future improvements may prove to be less than fully effective, and our employees or agents may engage in conduct for which we might be held responsible. If employees violate our policies or we fail to maintain adequate record-keeping and internal accounting practices to accurately record our transactions we may be subject to regulatory fines, sanctions, damages or other penalties or costs. Violations of any of these laws, including the FCPA or other anti-corruption laws, may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions and penalties, damage our brand and reputation and subject us to other liabilities which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Taxation & Government Incentives1 | 3.3%

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1

Changed

We may have exposure to tax liabilities in various jurisdictions. Future changes in tax law could materially affect our tax obligations and effective tax rate, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are subject to income taxes, and non-income taxes, across various jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our global provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities. Our income tax obligations are based in part on our corporate structure and intercompany arrangements. In the ordinary course of our global business, there are many intercompany transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain, and tax authorities of the jurisdictions in which we operate may challenge our methodologies. Changes in tax laws could negatively impact our overall effective tax rate. Over the last several years, many jurisdictions and intergovernmental organizations have been discussing or are in the process of implementing proposals that may change aspects of the existing framework under which our tax obligations are determined in many of the jurisdictions in which we operate. Changes in tax laws, including the implementation of a 15% global minimum tax under OECD BEPS Pillar 2 and potential corporate tax rate increases in the U.S. and abroad, could materially affect our tax liabilities, effective tax rate and compliance costs. For instance, the expiration of certain U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions in 2026 and ongoing global adoption of minimum tax rules may increase our tax burden and operational complexity. In addition, heightened global tax transparency initiatives, such as country-by-country reporting and new FASB disclosure requirements, could increase tax controversy activity and investor scrutiny, further increasing our compliance costs and risks. We are regularly under audit by tax authorities. From time to time, we also face proceedings, investigations or inquiries related to tax matters. We may be subject to additional tax liabilities, as the jurisdictions in which we do business globally are increasingly focused on digital taxes and the treatment of remote workforces. Increased IRS funding may also result in greater audit activity targeting large multinationals, adding compliance burdens. Although we believe that our tax provisions are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the final determination of tax audits or tax disputes will not be different from what is reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals. To the extent we are required to pay amounts in excess of our reserves, such differences could have a material adverse effect on our Consolidated Statement of Income for a particular future period. In addition, an unfavorable tax settlement could require use of our cash and result in an increase in our effective tax rate in the period in which such resolution occurs and may have a material impact on our financial results.

Environmental / Social1 | 3.3%

Environmental / Social - Risk 1

Any failure to ensure and protect the confidentiality of data could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Many of our products, systems and processes involve the collection, retrieval, storage, transmission and processing of proprietary, third-party and client confidential information. We also handle personal information of our employees in connection with their employment. We rely on complex processes and IT controls along with policies, procedures and training to protect this information, including sensitive client data such as material non-public information and client portfolio data, against unauthorized access or disclosure. In addition, we believe that when we change the composition of our indexes or if we expect to change the methodologies that govern our indexes, in some cases, those changes can have an indirect effect on the prices of constituent securities and on certain indexed investment products as a result of trading activity related to tracking our indexes. The foreknowledge of these changes could be determined to be material non-public information. Similarly, our ESG ratings and ratings changes could potentially impact the companies and entities that we rate, including the price of their securities and the price of other securities that reference their securities. If our processes, confidentiality policies, conflict of interest policies or information barrier procedures fail or are insufficient, including as a result of intentional or unintentional human error, manual process failure, system error or other failure, then unauthorized release of, access to, or disclosure or misappropriation of data, including material non-public information or other confidential information (e.g., certain client portfolio data, index composition data, or ESG rating data), could harm our brand and reputation, lead to litigation, regulatory actions or penalties, and result in a loss of client confidence, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Production

Total Risks: 3/30 (10%)Above Sector Average

Manufacturing1 | 3.3%

Manufacturing - Risk 1

Changed

If our products contain undetected errors or fail to perform properly due to defects, malfunctions or similar problems, we may face increased costs or liability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our products and services support the investment processes of our clients, which relate to, in the aggregate, trillions of dollars in assets. Products or services we develop or license have contained, and in the future may contain, undetected errors or defects. Use of our products or services as part of the investment process creates the risk that our clients, the parties whose assets are managed by our clients, investors in investment products linked to our indexes, the companies that we rate or assess in our sustainability and climate solutions or the shareholders of those companies, may pursue claims against us based on errors in our or third-party data, calculations, methodologies or analysis or a malfunction or failure in our systems, products or services. Despite internal testing and in some cases testing or use by clients, our products or services have contained, and in the future may contain, errors in our or third-party data, calculations, methodologies or analysis, including serious defects or malfunctions. This risk may grow with the increase in the number, type and complexity of our products, such as complex client-designed indexes that may require unique and more manual implementation and maintenance. For instance, certain of our processes utilize manual data entry or collection, which increases the risk of human error. If we detect any errors before we release or deliver a product or service or publish a methodology or analysis, we might have to suspend or delay the product or service release or delivery for an extended period of time while we address the problem. We may not discover errors that affect our products or services or enhancements until after they are deployed, and we may need to provide enhancements or corrections to address such errors, and in certain cases it may be impracticable to do so. If undetected errors exist in our products or services, or if our products or services fail to perform properly due to defects, malfunctions or similar problems, it could result in harm to our brand or reputation, increased costs, lost sales and revenues, delays in commercial release, third-party claims, contractual disputes, negative publicity, delays in or loss of market acceptance of our products or services, license terminations or renegotiations or unexpected expenses and diversion of resources to remedy or mitigate such errors, defects or malfunctions. The realization of any of these events could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. While we have provisions in our client contracts that are designed to limit our liability from claims brought by our clients or third parties relating to our products or services, these provisions could be invalidated or fail to adequately or effectively limit our liability. In addition, clients also increasingly require us to provide contractual assurances regarding our IT and operational risk management and security practices or policies, and many of our clients in the financial services sector are subject to regulations and requirements to adopt risk management processes to oversee their third-party relationships. Contractual disputes could result in the provision of credits, adverse monetary judgments and other penalties and damages. Any such claims brought against us, even if the outcome were to be ultimately favorable to us, would require attention of our management, personnel, financial and other resources and could have a negative impact on our reputation or pose a disruption to our normal business operations. In addition, the duration or outcome of such claims and lawsuits is difficult to predict, which could further exacerbate the adverse effect they may have on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Employment / Personnel1 | 3.3%

Employment / Personnel - Risk 1

If we fail to attract, develop or retain the necessary qualified personnel, including through our compensation programs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Our success depends on the knowledge, skills, experience and abilities of our employees, particularly our executives and other key employees. Although we do not believe that we are overly dependent upon any individual employee, the loss of any of our key employees and our inability to replace them with suitable candidates quickly or at all, as well as any negative market perception resulting from such loss, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We compete for talent across industries, including technology, engineering and financial services companies, and there is a limited pool of employees who have the skills and training needed to do our work, including with expertise in emerging technologies, such as AI. Competition for these employees is intense, and turnover may impact our objectives and place strain on our human resources teams. We may not be able to attract these employees or to develop and retain similar highly qualified personnel in the future. Rising compensation expenses could also adversely affect our ability to attract and retain high-quality employees. Competitors may offer more favorable working conditions or more attractive compensation packages. If our compensation programs do not adequately engage our key employees or are not competitive, or if we fail to attract, engage and retain the necessary qualified personnel, the quality of our products and services as well as our ability to support and retain our clients and achieve business objectives may suffer.

Supply Chain1 | 3.3%

Supply Chain - Risk 1

Changed

We are dependent on third parties to supply data, applications and services for our products and services and are dependent on certain vendors to distribute our products. A refusal or failure by a key vendor to distribute our products; any loss of key third- party suppliers of data, applications or services; a decline in the accuracy or quality of such data, applications or services; or any failure by us to comply with our suppliers' or distributors' licensing requirements could impair our ability to provide our products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We rely on third-party suppliers of data, applications and services, including data from stock exchanges and other suppliers (collectively, "Vendor Products"), and depend on the accuracy and quality of Vendor Products and the ability and willingness of such suppliers to deliver, support, enhance and develop new products on a timely and cost-effective basis. Additionally, we rely on clients to supply us with certain data for our products and services, and depend on the delivery, accuracy, quality and accessibility of such data. If Vendor Products include errors or design defects, are delayed, become incompatible with future versions of our products, are unavailable on acceptable terms or are not available at all, we may not be able to deliver our products and services. In addition, in the ordinary course of business, suppliers of Vendor Products are subject to various forms of cyber-attacks or other security incidents. Cyber-attacks, vulnerabilities in our suppliers' software, systems or networks, failure of our suppliers' safeguards, policies or procedures and other incidents related to our suppliers' systems and networks may cause material interruptions or malfunctions in our or such suppliers' websites, applications or data processing and delivery, or may compromise the confidentiality and integrity of affected information. In addition, certain of our suppliers are also our competitors, and they could change the terms of the data and products that they supply to us in order to gain competitive advantage against us. Some of our agreements with third-party suppliers allow them to cancel on short notice, and from time to time we receive notices from third-party suppliers threatening to terminate the provision of their products or services to us, and some data suppliers have terminated the provision of their data to us. Termination of the provision of Vendor Products by one or more of our significant suppliers or exclusion from, or restricted use of, or litigation in connection with Vendor Products could decrease the data and materials available for us to use and deliver to our clients. In addition, some of our competitors could enter into exclusive contracts with our data suppliers, including with certain stock exchanges, which could preclude us from receiving certain data or other materials or restrict us in our use of such data or other materials. Such exclusive contracts could hinder our ability to create our products and services or to provide our clients with the data or other products or services they prefer. Despite our efforts to comply with the licensing requirements of Vendor Products, there can be no assurance that third parties will not challenge our use, which could result in increased acquisition or licensing costs, loss of rights or costly legal actions. Our business could be materially adversely affected if we are unable to timely or effectively replace the data or functionality provided by Vendor Products that may become unavailable or fail to operate effectively for any reason. Our operating costs could increase if additional license fees are imposed, or current license fees increase or the efforts to incorporate enhancements to Vendor Products are substantial and we are unable to negotiate acceptable licensing arrangements with these suppliers or find alternative sources of equivalent products or services. If any of these risks materialize, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We also rely on third-party vendors, including some competitors, to distribute our data to clients. Should any of our key vendors refuse to distribute our data for any reason or require that we pay them new or additional fees in connection with the distribution of our data, we would need to find alternative ways to distribute our data, which could increase costs, disrupt operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Macro & Political

Total Risks: 3/30 (10%)Above Sector Average

Economy & Political Environment1 | 3.3%

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1

Changed

Our business may be affected by changes in economic conditions and the global capital markets, including those resulting from geopolitical events, adverse equity market conditions, volatility in the financial markets and evolving investment trends. Such changes could decrease the use of our products and services which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our business is impacted by economic conditions, including economic uncertainty, market downturns and volatility in the global capital markets and evolving investment trends (including volatility and trends resulting from geopolitical events, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and conflicts in the Middle East, and related escalation of geopolitical tensions). Our clients use our products for a variety of purposes, including benchmarking, performance attribution, portfolio construction and risk management, and to support investment strategies including sustainability, climate, factor, thematic, private asset and MAC investing. Volatile capital markets, geopolitical instability or unrest and other economic and market conditions and trends, including a recession or other significant financial-market event or crisis, may impact whether, how, where and when investors choose to invest, for example between developed or emerging markets, U.S. or non-U.S. markets, as well as whether to adopt different investment strategies. A portion of our revenues comes from clients who use our indexes as the basis for indexed investment products. These fees are primarily based on a client's assets under management or trading volumes, and if the level of assets under management or trading volumes declines, we expect our fee-based revenue to show a corresponding decline. The value of an investment product's assets may increase or decrease in response to changes in market performance and cash inflows and outflows, which could impact our revenues. Additionally, a portion of our revenues comes from products and services that relate to certain investment trends. A decline in the equity markets or movement away from such investment trends, including as a result of changing economic conditions or political or regulatory concerns or scrutiny, could decrease demand for our related products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

International Operations1 | 3.3%

International Operations - Risk 1

Changed

Our global operations and any future expansions may continue to place significant strain on our resources and subject us to additional risks and costs resulting from our increased global footprint, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our global operations and any future expansion are expected to continue to place significant demands on our personnel, management and other resources, and there can be no assurance that we will effectively attract, develop and retain qualified personnel and effective leaders across locations; operate our physical facilities and information technology infrastructure; scale our legal and compliance infrastructure; develop and maintain appropriate operational and financial systems, procedures and controls; integrate acquired businesses; or otherwise adequately manage our global operations and any future expansion. Our global operations and our ability to deliver our services to our clients also expose us to political, economic, legal, operational, reputational, franchise and other risks resulting from operating in many countries, including risks of possible capital controls, exchange controls, customs duties, sanctions compliance, tax penalties, levies or assessments, legal uncertainty, broad regulatory discretion and other restrictive governmental actions, as well as the outbreak of hostilities or political and governmental instability. As we operate in multiple jurisdictions, our ability to repatriate cash to the U.S. could also be impacted by foreign currency controls, restrictions on cash transfers, or limits on converting currency or paying dividends from non-U.S. subsidiaries, as well as adverse tax consequences. In addition, the majority of our employees are located in offices outside of the U.S., and a number of those employees are located in emerging market locations. The cost of establishing and maintaining these offices, including costs related to information technology, as well as the costs of attracting, training and retaining employees in these locations may be higher, or may increase at a faster rate, than we anticipate. Additionally, social and health conditions, such as public health epidemics impacting the global economy or our employees, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. The laws and regulations in many countries applicable to our business are uncertain and evolving, and it may be difficult or costly for us to determine and remain compliant with the exact requirements of local laws in every market. Our inability to maintain consistent internal policies and procedures across our offices and remain in compliance with local laws in a particular market could have a significant and negative effect not only on our businesses in that market but also on our reputation. Demand for our products and services is still nascent in many parts of the world, particularly in emerging markets, where risk management and sustainability and climate integration practices are less established. In addition, the data required to model local securities in some emerging markets might be difficult to source and local investment product nuances may be difficult or costly to model. If we do not appropriately tailor our products and services to fit the needs of the local market, we may be unable to effectively grow sales of our products and services. Any failure to effectively manage expansion or to effectively manage our business globally could damage our brand and reputation, result in increased costs and litigation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Capital Markets1 | 3.3%

Capital Markets - Risk 1

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Our revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities are subject to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuation risk, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are subject to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuation risk. Exchange rate movements can impact the U.S. dollar reported value of our revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies or where the currency of such items is different than the functional currency of the entity where these items were recorded. Additionally, the value of assets in indexed investment products can fluctuate significantly over short periods of time and such volatility may be further impacted by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. We manage certain portions of our foreign currency exchange rate risk, in part, through the use of derivative financial instruments comprised principally of forward contracts on foreign currency which are not designated as hedging instruments for accounting purposes. Any derivative financial instruments that we are currently party to or may enter into in the future may not be successful, resulting in an adverse impact on our results of operations. To the extent that our international activities recorded in local currencies increase or decrease in the future, our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may correspondingly increase or decrease and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?

Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.

They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.

It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.

How do companies disclose their risk factors?

Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.

Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.

Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.

According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.

How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?

Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.

You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.

Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.

A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.

What are all the risk factor categories?

TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.

1. Financial & Corporate

Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.

2. Legal & Regulatory

Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.

3. Production

Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.

4. Technology & Innovation

Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.

5. Ability to Sell

Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.

6. Macro & Political

Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.

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