三井物产子公司MCC将向外部客户推出覆盖数千万家海外企业的全球信用评级服务，目标2030年累计评估10万家

TOKYO -- Trading house Mitsui & Co. will launch a credit rating service covering tens of millions of companies overseas, helping clients in Japan assess risks and make more informed decisions about international business deals.
Only 18% of Japanese companies have expanded overseas, according to a 2025 survey by Teikoku Databank. Small and midsize businesses in particular are often concerned about the risk of nonpayment because potential overseas business partners are often unlisted.
Making creditworthiness, including geopolitical risks, more transparent could make it easier for Japanese companies to pursue opportunities overseas.
Mitsui Bussan Credit Consulting (MCC), a Mitsui subsidiary, will provide the service. It has developed an assessment model that assigns ratings based on financial information as well as factors such as management structure and whether a company has a history of late payments.
The service can also assess unlisted companies, including small and midsize businesses and startups. Mitsui, one of Japan's major trading houses, will incorporate into the ratings its experience dealing with companies around the world, along with its own criteria for assessing geopolitical risks. The service will cost tens of thousands of yen (10,000 yen is worth $63) per company.
Using basic information about a client company, such as revenue, profit structure and business portfolio, the service will also calculate an appropriate transaction amount with a prospective business partner. This will help clients determine the total amount they can safely handle when selling goods on deferred payment terms or making advance payments for services, for example.
Research reports used in the assessments will be obtained from partner firms at the client's request. MCC works with more than 70 research companies worldwide, including major Chinese credit research company Gladtrust Management, along with Creditsafe, which is active in Europe and the U.S.
MCC's system is capable of assessing almost any company with actual business operations that can be verified in major markets where Japanese businesses are looking to expand, including the U.S. and China.
Mitsui has been testing the corporate assessment system internally since 2023. Having confirmed the effectiveness of its rating through actual overseas transactions, the company will now make the service widely available to external clients. It aims to conduct credit assessments on a total of 100,000 companies by 2030.
Services capable of assessing companies around the world using the same criteria are uncommon. Major Japanese corporate research firms provide information on overseas businesses but do not assign rating using a common global standard.
By making risks more visible, Mitsui aims to encourage new transactions with overseas companies and expand growth opportunities for Japanese businesses.