RusRating is an independent rating agency focusing on the Russian market. Currently, it produces risk management research reports on Russian banks – 40 banks are currently monitored each month with full corporate profiles twice a year. The agency was started by Richard Hainsworth at the start of 2000, and is now recognized as the premier national rating agency in Russia for banks. RusRating’s proprietary research is used by a select list of subscribers, including the IFC (World Bank), VISA International, USAID, Citibank, and major Russian banks, such as International Moscow Bank, MDM and BIN Bank. Some subscribers have requested two and three year agreements. RusRating’s web site (http://www.rusrating.ru) is visited by an average of 50 separate users per day, which indicates the attention paid to a site dedicated to specialist non-advertising content. RusRating analysts are regularly cited in the press in articles concerning banking.

Richard Hainsworth CFA has been in Russia for twenty years, and has been involved in bank analysis for ten. Richard opened the representative office of Thomson BankWatch in 1997 before founding RusRating in 2000. He has worked on a project basis for Citibank as bank analyst in credit risk, and is the bank analyst and Sberbank equity analyst on a project basis with Renaissance Capital.