# ICB methodology **Reasons for FiinPro-X's Choice of ICB** ICB was first published in Version 1.0 in 2001 and has since been widely used in 72 countries, with over 60,000 companies classified. ICB was developed by reputable and long-lasting financial organizations such as Dow Jones & Company Inc, "DJ," and the London Stock Exchange and The Financial Times, "FTSE".2.2 **Latest ICB Table** The latest ICB Version 4.0 was released in June 2009 and includes 10 Level 1 industries, 19 Level 2 industries, 41 Level 3 industries, and 114 Level 4 industries (See Appendix 1). The biggest difference compared to the previous version is that ICB has promoted Real Estate to a Level 2 sector and details in this sector at Levels 3 and 4. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.fiinpro.com/english/methodology/industry-classification/icb-methodology.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.