MSCI (MSCI) risk factors: FY2025 10-K

1. Operational Risks suspension or other loss of key third-party data, applications or services; a decline in the accuracy or quality of such data, applications or services; or any failure by us to comply with our suppliers’ or distributors’ licensing requirements or expectations could impair our ability to provide our products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.reworded
2. If our products contain undetected errors or fail to perform properly due to defects, malfunctions or similar problems, we may face increased costs or liability, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
3. MSCI is exposed to potential reputational and credibility concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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1. Our clients that pay us a variable license fee (e.g., based on the assets under management or total expense ratio or trading volumes of an indexed investment product) may seek to negotiate a lower fee structure or may lower the total expense ratio of such products or may cease using our indexes, which could limit the growth of or decrease our revenues from asset-based or other variable fees and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
2. Cancellations or reductions by our clients could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
3. Our clients may become more self-sufficient, which may reduce demand for our products or services and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
4. Complex relationships with clients, competitors, investors and distributors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
5. Technology Risks cause our products or services to be unavailable or fail and impose delays or additional costs, or impose conditions or restrictions on our products or services and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.new
6. Any failure to ensure and protect the confidentiality of data could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
7. Cyber-attacks or other security incidents and the failure of security plans, systems and procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.Cybersecurity
8. Migration of our applications, systems, processes and infrastructure to new technologies, providers, processes, platforms or applications could result in unanticipated failures, interruptions or delays in the performance and delivery of our products, services and support. Such incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
9. Our use of open source code could introduce security vulnerabilities, impose delays or costs, result in litigation or impose conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our products or services. Such incidents could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
10. Issues related to the use of AI and development of AI-related solutions could result in reputational harm, competitive harm, regulatory scrutiny or legal liability, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.rewordedAI

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1. Our business may be affected by changes in economic conditions and the global capital markets, including those resulting from geopolitical events, trade policy changes, adverse equity market conditions, volatility in the financial markets and evolving investment trends. Such changes could decrease the use of our products and services which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.reworded
2. Competition and financial and budgetary pressures affecting clients may cause price reductions or loss of market share, which may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
3. To remain competitive, we must successfully develop new and enhanced products and services and effectively manage product transitions and integrations. Our failure to do so may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
4. Our global presence and operations and any future expansions may continue to place significant strain on our resources and subject us to additional risks and costs resulting from our increased global footprint, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.reworded

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1. Failure to comply with laws, rules or regulations, or the introduction of new or revised laws, rules or regulations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
2. Legal protections for our intellectual property rights and other rights may not be sufficient or available to protect our competitive advantages. Third parties may infringe on our intellectual property rights or we may infringe upon their intellectual property rights, which, in each case, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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1. Our revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities are subject to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuation risk, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
2. Our indebtedness could materially adversely affect our cash flows and financial flexibility, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
3. A change in our credit ratings could materially adversely affect our financial condition.
4. We may have exposure to tax liabilities in various jurisdictions. Future changes in tax law could materially affect our tax obligations and effective tax rate, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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1. Our business performance might not be sufficient for us to meet the full-year financial guidance or long-term targets that we provide publicly. Failure to meet our financial guidance or long-term targets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
2. Our growth and profitability may not continue at the same rate as we have experienced in the past for several reasons, including if our operating costs are higher than expected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
3. We may be exposed to liabilities as a result of failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to our global presence and operations, including anti-corruption laws, and any determination that we violated these laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.reworded
4. If we are unable to successfully identify, execute and realize expected returns or synergies from acquisitions or strategic partnerships or investments, our financial results may be materially adversely affected.
5. Our goodwill and other intangible assets resulting from our acquisitions could be impaired as a result of future business conditions, requiring us to record substantial write-downs that would reduce our operating income and materially adversely affect our financial condition.
6. If we fail to attract, develop or retain the necessary talent, including through our compensation programs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.reworded
7. We cannot provide any guarantee that we will continue to repurchase shares of our common stock pursuant to our share repurchase program.reworded

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Headings in the FY2024 10-K with no match this year.

1. Any failures, disruptions, instability or vulnerabilities in our information technology architecture, platforms, vendors and service providers, production and delivery systems, software, code, networks, the internet or other systems may disrupt our operations, cause our products or services to be unavailable or fail and impose delays or additional costs, or impose conditions or restrictions on our products or services and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.