We have audited the standalone financial statements of
CARE Ratings Limited (the “Company”) which comprise
the standalone balance sheet as at 31 March 2026, and
the standalone statement of profit and loss (including
other comprehensive income), standalone statement
of changes in equity and standalone statement of
cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the
standalone financial statements, including material
accounting policies and other explanatory information.

In our opinion and to the best of our information
and according to the explanations given to us, the
aforesaid standalone financial statements give the
information required by the Companies Act, 2013
(“Act”) in the manner so required and give a true and
fair view in conformity with the accounting principles
generally accepted in India, of the state of affairs of the
Company as at 31 March 2026, and its profit and other
comprehensive income, changes in equity and its cash
flows for the year ended on that date.

BASIS FOR OPINION

We conducted our audit in accordance with the
Standards on Auditing (SAs) specified under Section
143(10) of the Act. Our responsibilities under those SAs
are further described in the Auditor's Responsibilities
for the Audit of the Standalone Financial Statements
section of our report. We are independent of the
Company in accordance with the Code of Ethics issued
by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
together with the ethical requirements that are relevant
to our audit of the standalone financial statements under
the provisions of the Act and the Rules thereunder,
and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities
in accordance with these requirements and the Code
of Ethics. We believe that the audit evidence we have
obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis
for our opinion on the standalone financial statements.

KEY AUDIT MATTER

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our
professional judgment, were of most significance in
our audit of the standalone financial statements of
the current period. These matters were addressed in
the context of our audit of the standalone financial
statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion
thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on
these matters. In addition to the matter(s) described
in the Basis for Opinion section, we have determined
matter(s) described below to be the key audit matter(s)
to be communicated in our report.

OTHER INFORMATION

The Company's Management and Board of Directors
are responsible for the other information. The other
information comprises the information included in the
Company's Director's Report, Business Responsibility
& Sustainability Report and Management Discussion &
Analysis, but does not include the financial statements
and auditor's report thereon.

Our opinion on the standalone financial statements
does not cover the other information and we do not
express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the standalone financial
statements, our responsibility is to read the other
information and, in doing so, consider whether the other
information is materially inconsistent with the standalone
financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the
audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.
If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude
that there is a material misstatement of this other
information, we are required to report that fact. We have
nothing to report in this regard.

MANAGEMENT’S AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS’
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE STANDALONE
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Company's Management and Board of Directors are
responsible for the matters stated in Section 134(5) of the
Act with respect to the preparation of these standalone
financial statements that give a true and fair view of the
state of affairs, profit/ loss and other comprehensive
income, changes in equity and cash flows of the Company
in accordance with the accounting principles generally
accepted in India, including the Indian Accounting
Standards (Ind AS) specified under Section 133 of the
Act. This responsibility also includes maintenance of
adequate accounting records in accordance with the
provisions of the Act for safeguarding of the assets of
the Company and for preventing and detecting frauds
and other irregularities; selection and application of
appropriate accounting policies; making judgments and
estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and design,
implementation and maintenance of adequate internal
financial controls, that were operating effectively
for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the
accounting records, relevant to the preparation and
presentation of the standalone financial statements
that give a true and fair view and are free from material
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the standalone financial statements, the
Management and Board of Directors are responsible for
assessing the Company's ability to continue as a going
concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to
going concern and using the going concern basis of
accounting unless the Board of Directors either intends
to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or has
no realistic alternative but to do so.

The Board of Directors is also responsible for overseeing
the Company's financial reporting process.

AUDITOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE AUDIT
OF THE STANDALONE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance
about whether the standalone financial statements as
a whole are free from material misstatement, whether
due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report
that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance
is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee
that an audit conducted in accordance with SAs will
always detect a material misstatement when it exists.
Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are
considered material if, individually or in the aggregate,
they could reasonably be expected to influence the
economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these
standalone financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with SAs, we exercise
professional judgment and maintain professional
skepticism throughout the audit. We also:

• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement
of the standalone financial statements, whether
due to fraud or error, design and perform audit
procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain
audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate
to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not
detecting a material misstatement resulting from
fraud is higher than for one resulting from error,
as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional
omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of
internal control.

• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant
to the audit in order to design audit procedures that
are appropriate in the circumstances. Under Section
143(3)(i) of the Act, we are also responsible for
expressing our opinion on whether the company
has adequate internal financial controls with

reference to financial statements in place and the
operating effectiveness of such controls.

• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting
policies used and the reasonableness of accounting
estimates and related disclosures made by the
Management and Board of Directors.

• Conclude on the appropriateness of the
Management and Board of Directors use of the
going concern basis of accounting in preparation
of standalone financial statements and, based on
the audit evidence obtained, whether a material
uncertainty exists related to events or conditions
that may cast significant doubt on the Company's
ability to continue as a going concern. If we
conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are
required to draw attention in our auditor's report to
the related disclosures in the standalone financial
statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate,
to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based
on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of
our auditor's report. However, future events or
conditions may cause the Company to cease to
continue as a going concern.

• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and
content of the standalone financial statements,
including the disclosures, and whether the
standalone financial statements represent the
underlying transactions and events in a manner
that achieves fair presentation.

We communicate with those charged with governance
regarding, among other matters, the planned scope
and timing of the audit and significant audit findings,
including any significant deficiencies in internal control
that we identify during our audit.

We also provide those charged with governance with
a statement that we have complied with relevant
ethical requirements regarding independence, and
to communicate with them all relationships and
other matters that may reasonably be thought to
bear on our independence, and where applicable,
related safeguards.

From the matters communicated with those charged
with governance, we determine those matters that
were of most significance in the audit of the standalone
financial statements of the current period and are
therefore the key audit matters. We describe these
matters in our auditor's report unless law or regulation
precludes public disclosure about the matter or when,
in extremely rare circumstances, we determine that
a matter should not be communicated in our report
because the adverse consequences of doing so would
reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest
benefits of such communication.

REPORT ON OTHER LEGAL AND REGULATORY

REQUIREMENTS

1. As required by the Companies (Auditor's Report)
Order, 2020 (“the Order”) issued by the Central
Government of India in terms of Section 143(11) of
the Act, we give in the “Annexure A” a statement
on the matters specified in paragraphs 3 and 4 of
the Order, to the extent applicable.

2A. As required by Section 143(3) of the Act,
we report that:

a. We have sought and obtained all the
information and explanations which to the best
of our knowledge and belief were necessary
for the purposes of our audit.

b. In our opinion, proper books of account
as required by law have been kept by the
Company so far as it appears from our
examination of those books except for the
matter stated in the paragraph 2(B)(f) below
on reporting under Rule 11(g) of the Companies
(Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014.

c. The standalone balance sheet, the standalone
statement of profit and loss (including other
comprehensive income), the standalone
statement of changes in equity and the
standalone statement of cash flows dealt
with by this Report are in agreement with the
books of account.

d. In our opinion, the aforesaid standalone
financial statements comply with the Ind AS
specified under Section 133 of the Act.

e. On the basis of the written representations
received from the directors between 01
April 2026 and 14 April 2026 taken on record
by the Board of Directors, none of the directors
is disqualified as on 31 March 2026 from being
appointed as a director in terms of Section
164(2) of the Act.

f. The modification relating to the maintenance
of accounts and other matters connected
therewith are as stated in the paragraph 2(A)
(b) above on reporting under Section 143(3)
(b) of the Act and paragraph 2(B)(f) below on
reporting under Rule 11(g) of the Companies
(Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014.

g. With respect to the adequacy of the internal
financial controls with reference to financial
statements of the Company and the operating
effectiveness of such controls, refer to our
separate Report in “Annexure B”.

B. With respect to the other matters to be included in
the Auditor's Report in accordance with Rule 11 of

the Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014, in

our opinion and to the best of our information and

according to the explanations given to us:

a. The Company has disclosed the impact of
pending litigations as at 31 March 2026 on its
financial position in its standalone financial
statements - Refer Note 29 to the standalone
financial statements.

b. The Company did not have any long-term
contracts including derivative contracts
for which there were any material
foreseeable losses.

c. There has been no delay in transferring
amounts, required to be transferred, to the
Investor Education and Protection Fund
by the Company.

d(i) The management has represented that, to the
best of its knowledge and belief, as disclosed
in the Note 46 to the standalone financial
statements, no funds have been advanced
or loaned or invested (either from borrowed
funds or share premium or any other sources
or kind of funds) by the Company to or in
any other person(s) or entity(ies), including
foreign entities (“Intermediaries”), with the
understanding, whether recorded in writing
or otherwise, that the Intermediary shall
directly or indirectly lend or invest in other
persons or entities identified in any manner
whatsoever by or on behalf of the Company
(“Ultimate Beneficiaries”) or provide any
guarantee, security or the like on behalf of the
Ultimate Beneficiaries.

(ii) The management has represented that, to the
best of its knowledge and belief, as disclosed
in the Note 46 to the standalone financial
statements, no funds have been received by
the Company from any person(s) or entity(ies),
including foreign entities (“Funding Parties”),
with the understanding, whether recorded in
writing or otherwise, that the Company shall
directly or indirectly, lend or invest in other
persons or entities identified in any manner
whatsoever by or on behalf of the Funding
Parties (“Ultimate Beneficiaries”) or provide
any guarantee, security or the like on behalf of
the Ultimate Beneficiaries.

(iii) Based on the audit procedures that have been
considered reasonable and appropriate in
the circumstances, nothing has come to our
notice that has caused us to believe that the
representations under sub-clause (i) and (ii) of
Rule 11(e), as provided under (i) and (ii) above,
contain any material misstatement.

e. The final dividend paid by the Company during
the year in respect of the same declared for
the previous year is in accordance with section
123 of the Companies Act 2013 to the extent it
applies to payment of dividend.

The interim dividend declared and paid by the
Company during the year and until the date of
this audit report is in accordance with section
123 of the Companies Act 2013.

As stated in Note 39 to the standalone
financial statements, the Board of Directors
of the Company have proposed final dividend
for the year which is subject to the approval
of the members at the ensuing Annual
General Meeting. The dividend declared is in
accordance with section 123 of the Act to the
extent it applies to declaration of dividend.

f. Based on our examination which included test
checks, the Company has used accounting
softwares for maintaining its books of
account which has a feature of recording
audit trail (edit log) facility and the same has
operated throughout the year for all relevant
transactions recorded in the software.
Further, we did not come across any instance
of the audit trail feature being tampered with.
Additionally, where audit trail (edit log) facility
was enabled and operated in the previous
years, the audit trail has been preserved by the
Company as per the statutory requirements
for record retention.

C. With respect to the matter to be included in the
Auditor's Report under Section 197(16) of the Act:

In our opinion and according to the information
and explanations given to us, the remuneration
paid by the Company to its directors during the
current year is in accordance with the provisions
of Section 197 of the Act. The remuneration paid
to any director is not in excess of the limit laid
down under Section 197 of the Act. The Ministry of
Corporate Affairs has not prescribed other details
under Section 197(16) of the Act which are required
to be commented upon by us.

For B S R & Co. LLP

Chartered Accountants
Firm's Registration No.:101248W/W-100022

Ajit Viswanath

Partner

Place: Mumbai Membership No.: 067114

Date: 13 May 2026 ICAI UDIN:26067114SEVQBA3377