Monopolies pose dangers, and the one held by the world’s three top credit-rating agencies (Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, Fitch) is no exception. These heavyweights are influential enough to cause financial crises—and may have in the past, due to problems such as conflicts of interest. The only solution is a radical reform of this oligopoly.
The global economy is caught up in a vicious spiral of worsening financial conditions spawned by the pandemic. Many developing economies were lumbered with high debt loads before COVID-19, but the crisis has greatly aggravated their crippling debt situations. As millions of people teeter on the brink of extreme poverty levels, what are the three weakest gaps in the international debt architecture, and how can they best be patched up?