We believe that knowledge fuels opportunity. The core of our business is to provide insights that help equip participants in the global financial markets to understand risks and move forward with critical insight. Our approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is rooted in that same belief. We seek to empower people with the knowledge, resources and confidence they need to create a better future — for themselves, their communities and the environment.
“When our actions — individually and together as a company — give more people what they need in order to pursue their ambitions, it creates ever-widening ripples of opportunity throughout communities and our world.”
ARLENE ISAACS-LOWE
Global Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, Moody’s Corporation
Over the past year, we have activated new ways of empowering people with the knowledge, resources and confidence they need to work toward a brighter future.
We began 2018 with an ambitious strategy to more tightly focus our CSR efforts at the intersection of our business strengths, our employees’ interests and some of society’s most pressing needs. With our employees leading the charge, we have developed programs and partnerships in 51 countries.
Among the most significant is Reshape Tomorrow™, our signature financial empowerment initiative, which connects thousands of entrepreneurs with tools and training to help grow their small businesses. Last year, we awarded grants and provided skills-based volunteering to help our eight inaugural Reshape Tomorrow partners in India, China, Europe, Africa and the Americas.
We also expanded our efforts to explain how sustainability issues such as climate change and shrinking natural resources may factor into credit ratings. We completed 21 new Green Bond Assessments, covering $7 billion of debt, to assist investors in their evaluation of green bond offerings used to finance environmental projects.
Through our work with educators and youth-focused nonprofits, we continued to open greater opportunities to empower the next generation to excel in the financial industry and other career paths. The World Series of Innovation for young entrepreneurs, the Women in STEM, Future Leaders program for young Latin as in Mexico and our Queer Coders for LGBTQI youth in New York City exemplify this effort.
These achievements, along with many others in the pages that follow, were fueled by our employees’ talents and inspiration. I am deeply proud of the more than 13,000 people across Moody’s — and our extended network of partners in communities around the globe — who enable us to generate positive impact by expanding access to knowledge and the opportunities it creates.
CSR at Moody's
Each year, we have continued to hone our CSR program to strategically focus on societal issues that Moody’s is in a unique position to help address — and those that our employees are most passionate about. Here’s where we stand on our journey today.
Building upon our core expertise in serving the global capital markets, we have launched Reshape Tomorrow™, a financial empowerment initiative dedicated to helping people overcome the challenges of growing a small business. We are developing partnerships to give small business owners access to vital information about the credit process and to help connect them with lending institutions.
We are continually taking steps to reduce Moody’s adverse impact on the planet through programs that promote recycling, reuse and resource conservation throughout our operations. And, as part of our core business activities, we make an even greater positive difference with technology tools and analytical services that help other organizations and the investor community to better assess the value of environmental sustainability in financial markets.
We work with schools and nonprofits around the world to prepare young people for successful careers in finance, technology and economics.This includes helping create and expand mentorship initiatives,skills-development programs,internships and other educational opportunities for students ages 15–24.
Our employees play an integral role in driving the company’s CSR progress through their volunteer efforts, contributions of pro bono expertise,giving and board service on behalf of nonprofit organizations worldwide.
