The financial rating is, for investors, a key criterion in estimating the risk that an investment entails. It is a factor with a direct effect on borrowers' access to fundraising. It is therefore a key element in the development of African financial markets.

In a publication, UMOA-titres indicates that the financial rating is a technique making it possible to measure the solvency and the will of a borrower to face its financial obligations in the short and/or long term. The ratings assigned to a borrower are opinions on the relative probability of defaulting on its debt. In other words, we assess the risk that our debts (capital and interest) will not be paid in full when due.

These ratings allow companies and governments to raise funds directly on the capital markets by issuing debt, instead of borrowing from a bank or lender. UMOA-titres is based on three aspects to explain the major role of financial rating: ratings facilitate the issuance of debt by rated entities; the ratings provide a benchmark for assessing the risk of savings; finally, the ratings make it possible to reduce the asymmetry of information between investors and debt issuers.