MOODY'S CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Open the door to a brighter future

We believe that knowledge fuels opportunity. Moody's is a global integrated risk assessment firm with a mission to provide trusted insights and standards that help decision-makers act with confidence. 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.

“CSR and social investing are part of the fabric of our company and integral to our corporate strategy. It’s our contribution to a shared future.”

ARLENE ISAACS-LOWE

Global Head, Corporate Social Responsibility, Moody’s Corporation

We find ourselves in unprecedented times as we face the immediate and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the health and economic security of people around the world. Many are facing challenges and disruptions,including small businesses and educational systems. In response to the pandemic, Moody’s is providing charitable donations and other urgent support to address the needs of affected communities where we operate. These efforts build on the actions we took in 2019 to grow our partnerships and global programs, and ultimately support the needs of small business owners and students.

These commitments also reflect our purpose to bring clarity, knowledge and fairness to an interconnected world. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is in many ways at the heart of our endeavors to enhance connection and collaboration between people, which supports addressing society’s most pressing issues.

In 2019, we saw tangible results from the first full year of our signature financial inclusion initiative, Reshape Tomorrow™. With support from the Moody’s Foundation and employee volunteers, our partners are doing important work in communities across the world. Small businesses in the US learned how to manage cash flow more effectively for growth. Small shopkeepers in Kenya received business management and finance training. And economies in Latin America grew stronger as local entrepreneurs forged new connections. You will read more about these efforts and others in the pages that follow — with the common thread being knowledge helping to fuel inclusion and growth across a wide range of markets.

We are proud of the progress made on our journey to be leaders in CSR and of our business activities to help enterprises make better decisions that form pathways to creating a better tomorrow. With this in mind, we continued to grow our sustainable finance initiatives by making several strategic investments — including majority stakes in Four Twenty Seven, Inc. and Vigeo Eiris and a minority stake in SynTao Green Finance — that are enabling us to extend our data and analytics capabilities further in the environmental, social and governance space. We also became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, committed to the United Nations Business Ambition for 1.5°C and took steps to join the Business Roundtable and support its Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation, among other activities.

As we reflect on these achievements, I want to acknowledge and thank our Moody’s employees, who are dedicated to volunteering and embedding CSR principles throughout our organization. Together, with their passion and the commitment of our partners, we will continue to build a brighter future in both good and challenging times.

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CSR at Moody's

We drive progress and measurable impact in our complex and changing world by building more inclusive economies, stronger communities and an environmentally sustainable future.

Empowering people with financial knowledge

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.

Activating an environmentally sustainable future

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.

Helping young people reach their potential

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.

Through this approach, we connect people with the knowledge and resources they need to make better decisions and create a stronger shared tomorrow.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are intended as a blueprint to a better, more sustainable future. Our own CSR strategy aligns with and supports many of these goals. The SDGs give us another valuable lens through which to consider our progress toward addressing these global challenges.

In 2019, Moody’s used the UN Global Compact’s new SDG Action Manager tool to more rigorously map our efforts and impact to the SDGs. This tool combines the SDGs with B Lab’s B Impact Assessment and the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact to enable meaningful business action through self-assessment, benchmarking and improvement. As a member of the Reporting on the SDGs Action Platform, we also used the report Integrating the SDGs into Corporate Reporting: A Practical Guide to further align our actions.

Sharing our passion and purpose with the world

Partnerships to foster economic inclusion and entrepreneurship — especially among women — through education and access to financial services and lending
Support for finance, technology, economics education and career mentoring, especially for marginalized groups
Credit ratings, research and ESG assessments and clean energy investments, as well as the links between climate change and financial markets

In 2019, our work in Latin America included the launch of domestic ratings platform, Moody’s Local, along with expanded CSR efforts with partners, such as Village Capital, to support the social, environmental and financial health of Latin American communities.

Since its development in 2018, Moody’s Future Solutions™ has inspired additional local employee engagement efforts — and our first global immersive program in Beijing, China.

Moody’s ESG and climate capabilities expanded during 2019 as we made strategic investments in ESG leaders, created a central team dedicated to driving our ESG offering and stepped further into an industry leadership role.

A Note from Moody’s CEO and Leadership

Better decisions, brighter futures

Moody’s Provides $1 Million in Funding for COVID-19 Relief

Moody’s Becomes Participant in UN Global Compact and Signatory to Principles for Responsible Investment

A message from Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.

President & CEO, Moody's corporation

CSR at Moody's

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