Moody’s to buy data firm Bureau van Dijk for $3.3 bn

Credit ratings agency Moody's said Monday it will buy Dutch business intelligence company Bureau van Dijk for for about $3.3 billion to extend its risk data and analytical businesses.

Bureau van Dijk is currently owned by investment firm EQT and it distributes financial information and private company datasets of 220 million companies. "Bureau van Dijk is a high growth information aggregator and distributor that positions Moody's at the center of a unique network of global risk data," said Moody's CEO Raymond McDaniel. "This acquisition provides significant opportunities for Moody's Analytics to offer complementary products, create new risk solutions and extend its reach to new and evolving market segments."
Moody’s will fund the transaction through a combination of offshore cash and new debt financing. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in the European Union and is expected to close late in the third quarter of 2017.

“Moody’s is a highly regarded, authoritative source of credit ratings and analytical tools, with a strong brand and global reach,” said Mark Schwerzel, Deputy CEO of Bureau van Dijk. “The addition of Bureau van Dijk’s powerful information platform to Moody’s Analytics’ suite of risk management solutions presents a wide range of opportunities for us to better serve our combined customer base.”

Moody's also acquired the structured finance data and analytics business of SCDM, a Frankfurt-based provider of analytical tools, earlier this year.