The concept of credit ratings and credit rating agencies are relatively new in India, dating back to just a couple of decades only. That being said, this medium of evaluation is most influential in our current environment as investors trust the independent assessments of such agencies - relying on them for their insights and findings before making an investment decision. In this article, we endeavour to understand what Credit Ratings mean, the role they play and the agencies that help carry this out. Just as important it is to understand which investments make for a good one, it is also imperative for an investor to understand what impacts their investment choices.