NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) announced today that it has acquired full ownership of Korea Investors Service (KIS), a leading provider of domestic credit ratings in Korea.

Founded in 1985, KIS serves the domestic capital markets in Korea with credit ratings, research and other services. KIS has been a majority-owned affiliate of Moody’s Investors Service since 2001.

“Moody’s and KIS have had a long-standing and productive partnership, and this deal further solidifies our presence in this important market,” said Robert Fauber, President of Moody’s Investors Service.

KIS Ratings will continue to operate as an independent affiliate of Moody’s Investors Service. Mr. Jae-Hong Lee, Chief Executive Officer of KIS, will continue to lead the company.

“Over the past 15 years, KIS has benefited from the expertise and global perspective provided by our affiliation with Moody’s,” said Mr. Lee. “I look forward to further building the KIS business and serving the Korean market with insightful credit ratings and research.”

Under the terms of the deal, Moody’s will also gain a majority ownership stake in KIS Pricing, a majority-owned subsidiary of KIS and provider of pricing services and analytics for fixed income and other local securities.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed. It is not expected to have a significant impact on Moody’s earnings per share for 2016 and will be funded from international cash on hand.

ABOUT MOODY’S CORPORATION

Moody's is an essential component of the global capital markets, providing credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to transparent and integrated financial markets. Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) is the parent company of Moody's Investors Service, which provides credit ratings and research covering debt instruments and securities, and Moody's Analytics, which offers leading-edge software, advisory services and research for credit and economic analysis and financial risk management. The corporation, which reported revenue of $3.5 billion in 2015, employs approximately 10,800 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 36 countries. Further information is available at www.moodys.com.