During 2008, World-Check launched Country-Check, an index that ranks over 240 countries and territories worldwide in terms of risk. A statistical algorithm is used to aggregate various information sources across political, financial and criminal factors and this quantifies risk attached to customers and transactions according to their country of origin. Based on statistics and not perception, Country-Check provides practical intelligence for informed decision-making, useful for mergers and acquisitions, security of supply chain, cross border expansion and exploration, and production.