In its quest to be something akin to the globalized trade equivalent of Marco Polo, the mantra at Equifax has been to look east.

Specifically, the Atlanta-based credit reporting and data analysis firm looked at conquering India and the Russian Federation.

In February it announced a partnership with CRISIL, a risk and ratings agency, and Tata Group, one of India's largest conglomerates.

Now it has moved on to Moscow, where the company said Tuesday it is buying a 28 percent stake in credit data firm Global Payments Credit Services. It will have the option of buying up to 50 percent of the company, which will be renamed with the Equifax moniker.

Global Payments Credit Services, founded in 2005, is a 50-50 joint venture of the Home Credit and Finance Bank of Russia and Global Payments Europe, a unit of Atlanta-based Global Payments.

Jeff Baker, Global Payments' senior vice president of corporate development and strategy, said the decision to sell the stake made sense now because credit bureaus in Russia, many of which were started by that country's biggest banks, have been consolidating. Executives there recognize the need for a corporate alliance that would bring expertise in credit reporting and data management, he said.

For Equifax, the Russian deal is the second jewel in Chairman and Chief Executive Richard F. Smith's four-pronged expansion crown. Smith has said he wanted India, Russia, China and Mexico to come into the Equifax fold.

But it's not risk-free. After years of embracing Western capitalism, Russia's government has reached back to some of the hard-line stances of its Soviet past, which could hamper business operations.

Still, Trey Loughran, Equifax's senior vice president of corporate development said the potential outweighs the risks. He noted several American firms have shown interest in Russia. Texas Pacific Group, a private equity concern, recently bought an $800 million stake in Russia's largest pharmaceutical firm. Wal-Mart Stores has said it's looking for a partner in Russia.

"Whenever we look at expanding into foreign markets, we assess the risk of those markets," he said. "Our belief is that the long-term opportunities outweigh the risks. There's a lot of opportunity for Western experience and knowledge and investment."