Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

MSCI Inc. provides investment decision support tools, indexes, and ESG research primarily to institutional investors, not direct lending or deposit services to consumers

. Therefore, KPIs related to consumer financial products, such as underserved client share, pricing fairness, exploitative fee exposure, fair lending compliance, debt burden ratio, geographic inclusion, and product simplicity, are not applicable. While MSCI has internal inclusion and belonging programs for employees and its research discusses climate finance for developing countries , this does not constitute a loan/insurance book aimed at low-income, SME, or micro-segments. There is no direct impact on individual customer credit or savings outcomes, and profit reinvestment is focused on internal talent and well-being programs , not community finance. The company does not generate or manage customer finance data for portability via open-banking APIs, nor does it offer financial literacy programs to consumers.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

MSCI's CEO to median employee pay ratio was 238 to 1 as of December 31, 2023, with the CEO's annual total compensation at $13,793,145

and the median employee's at $57,876. The company reported a voluntary employee turnover rate of 7.5% for the one-year period ended December 31, 2024. An employee engagement survey conducted in December 2024 showed that 76% of respondents were fully engaged, with an 85% response rate. In December 2023, the full engagement score was 75%, the highest since the survey's implementation in 2011. MSCI offers competitive compensation and benefits, including annual cash bonuses and long-term stock incentives, and links all employee compensation to company, product/function, and individual performance. The company updated its Global Human Rights Policy on October 30, 2024, to emphasize equal employment opportunity, a safe and healthy workplace, fair labor practices, and respect for employees' union rights, while prohibiting forced and child labor. It also conducts an annual pay equity review.

Honest & Fair Business

MSCI maintains a zero-tolerance policy for corruption, explicitly prohibiting the offering or acceptance of bribes or facilitation payments within its Supplier Code of Conduct.

The company also has a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct for all employees, outlining ethical and legal conduct. For whistleblowers, MSCI provides a global integrity hotline for anonymous reporting, requiring employees to report misconduct. The company publishes Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) reports, which guide the disclosure of sustainability information, including policies on data security and professional integrity. MSCI's Clawback Policy allows for the recoupment of executive incentive-based compensation in circumstances such as financial restatements or detrimental conduct. The Board of Directors sets high standards for corporate governance, and a Global Human Rights Policy prohibits forced and child labor.

Kind to Animals

MSCI ESG Research co-hosted the launch of the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) in 2013.

This initiative provides a comprehensive assessment of global food companies' responses to farm animal welfare risks and opportunities. No other explicit evidence was found in the provided articles regarding MSCI's direct involvement in activities related to animal products, testing, agriculture, or direct conservation impact, leading to the omission of other KPIs.

No War, No Weapons

MSCI publicly commits to human rights and integrates the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) into its ESG Global Norms screens and methodologies.

However, as of February 2026, MSCI faces allegations of failing to uphold human rights due diligence responsibilities and to exercise leverage over companies in its ESG indexes linked to Myanmar’s military, violating OECD guidelines. This indicates major gaps in its UNGP alignment. MSCI has codified ethical red lines by developing ESG Screened Indexes that exclude companies involved in a comprehensive list of controversial weapons, including nuclear weapons, civilian firearms, cluster bombs, landmines, depleted uranium, chemical and biological weapons, blinding laser weapons, non-detectable fragments, and incendiary weapons. This reflects a corporate commitment to avoiding military-related activities in its core business of providing investment tools. Despite these defined ethical red lines and commitments, MSCI faced criticism and allegations in February 2024 and February 2026 for including companies linked to Myanmar's military regime in its ESG indices and failing to address gross human rights impacts, indicating documented violations of its ethical standards that have not been addressed.

Planet-Friendly Business

MSCI achieved 100% renewable electricity usage by 2023

, a significant increase from 17% in 2019 . This was accomplished by purchasing Energy Attribute Certificates and selecting energy-efficient office spaces .

Respect for Cultures & Communities

MSCI's business model, focused on investment decision support tools, indexes, and ESG research, means many KPIs related to direct community interaction, land use, or cultural sites are not directly applicable. There are no reported cultural appropriation incidents, and the company's operations do not involve physical activities near cultural or heritage sites that would lead to disruptions. Consequently, specific protocols for cultural impact assessment, FPIC processes, or social license to operate are not mentioned as relevant to their operations. While MSCI emphasizes corporate responsibility

, talent management , and Employee Resource Groups to foster inclusion and cross-cultural understanding , the provided articles do not offer specific, quantifiable data for most other KPIs.

Safe & Smart Tech

MSCI reported no material cybersecurity incidents in 2024 and for the last three fiscal years, incurring no related penalties or settlements.

The company's information security management system has achieved ISO 27001:2022 certification. MSCI provides mandatory annual security awareness training and testing for employees. The company states it does not sell or rent personal information to third parties. , does not track online activities across the internet. , and has had no unauthorized data use incidents in the last three fiscal years. MSCI processes personal information in compliance with applicable data protection laws. , monitors emerging regulations. , and holds various regulatory registrations, with no penalties in the last three fiscal years. Users can exercise data rights via a web form. , manage email subscriptions through an online preference center. , and marketing emails require opt-in consent outside the US. MSCI aims to retain personal information for the duration of the relationship. , and retains business contact data only as long as necessary for legitimate prospecting purposes.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

MSCI has eliminated the use of single-use plastics and other disposable kitchen items and office supplies across all its offices, including water bottles, cutlery, straws, and coffee stirrers.

The company has implemented at least six waste reduction initiatives, such as eliminating under-desk waste-paper baskets, reducing print by delivering client publications electronically, eliminating paper statements for its stock plan, reducing paper usage by using electronic documents, minimizing printing volume, and eliminating single-use plastics. These efforts have resulted in an estimated $565,000 in savings and saved an estimated 60 trees per year. Additionally, MSCI expects its suppliers to handle waste responsibly and maintain separate hazardous and non-hazardous waste management processes.