We were incorporated in 2005 as an initiative of ministry of finance (goi) and reserve bank of india (rbi), to facilitate credit rating of bank borrowers. Since a majority of bank borrowers are smes, we chose to call ourselves sme rating agency which we later rechristened to smera ratings limited as our products & services portfolio expanded organically over the period and included bond ratings, cp ratings, bank loan ratings, sme ratings and various grading services.

 sebi, at the board meeting held on december 28, 2017, decided that rating agencies will have to segregate activities other than the rating of financial instruments and economic/ financial research to a separate legal entity. Meanwhile, the company's bond & bank loan ratings business grew rapidly making it a significant player in the rating industry. These developments prompted the company to demonstrate the transformation in its business by reinventing its brand identity and positioning. Acuité ratings & research will focus on providing bond & bank loan ratings, economic analysis and financial research services.

Acuité (pronounced as 'a.kui.te'), a french derivation from the word 'acuity', implies a sharp vision in terms of expertise, opinion and purpose. We believe our incisive knowledge and opinions presented through ratings & research act as the strong foundation for empowering the entire financial ecosystem.

Description of accent cluster

The most primary element of the logo is the accent cluster in a myriad of colours. The cluster represents our pursuit to bolster india's financial ecosystem and act as a frame of reference for customers, investors, bankers, exchanges and regulators. The sharp accents of varying lengths symbolize the incisive insights and opinions we present based on multiple perspectives that we consider while covering companies across industries, scale and size. Literal to its name, the accent cluster showcases the enhanced and accentuated experience, we bring consistently to our stakeholders through top notch ratings & research that really gives them leading edge insights.

A closer look at the colour palette will talk to you about the transformation from amber tones to a distinctive green - the different degrees of tangerine imply gradual but steady evolution of companies on our rating scale (aa+ to b) while the green is apt for the aaa standard which is awarded only to the best and hence a class apart. The 6 accents depict the insightful take on the 6 categories of credit rating (aaa to b).

Lastly, the refreshing and distinct dash of green is a symbolization of the healthy and fair environment we create to nurture and empower our stakeholders. Our observations not only provide a competitive edge to our customers, but also serve as foresight to investors and bankers. They give courage to our employees and an independent stance to regulators.

All these powered by simple objectives of dissolving information asymmetry, and facilitating smarter decision making, create a robust financial ecosystem.

We've transformed for a smarter tomorrow.