Acuity Knowledge Partners Acquires Technology Firm Ascent to Expand AI and Data Capabilities

Acuity Knowledge Partners, the global provider of research and AI solutions to the financial sector, has completed its acquisition of technology firm Ascent. Operating across seven European countries, Ascent supports over 170 clients with AI-driven digital transformation and will be integrated into Acuity’s Data and Technology Services (DTS) division.

The transaction increases Acuity’s global workforce to over 6,500 and facilitates its expansion into new sectors, including reinsurance, pharma, manufacturing, and retail. The deal also enhances Acuity’s partnership with Microsoft, with the combined firm now holding seven Microsoft Specialisations across four solution areas. All teams from Ascent will be absorbed into Acuity Knowledge Partners.

The acquisition follows Acuity’s recent launch of several new technology solutions. As a result of the deal, clients will have access to an expanded suite of services, including data science, Agentic AI, cloud and infrastructure services, software engineering, and digital product development.

Substantive Research Study Reveals Aggressive Pricing in Private Credit Data Market

Substantive Research has published a new study on market data pricing, expanding its analysis to include vendors in the debt, credit, and leveraged finance sectors. The new coverage reflects the significant growth of private markets, particularly private credit, where assets under management recently surpassed $3 trillion. The study highlights that the illiquid and less transparent nature of these assets has created an urgent need for accurate data from third-party sources as investors seek alpha opportunities.

The findings show increasingly aggressive behaviour from data providers. Consumers are facing renewal increases of between 10% and 40%, even for contracts valued between $100k and $1m. Vendors are also adopting inflexible, “take-it-or-leave-it” stances during negotiations, limiting buyers’ power. While pricing inconsistency is less extreme than in other data areas like ratings and terminals, the study found that comparable firms can still pay up to 20% more for the same products and use cases from the same vendor.

Keysight Technologies Makes Strategic Investment in InstrumentiX to Advance Trading Monitoring Solutions

InstrumentiX, the trading infrastructure monitoring and analytics provider, has announced a strategic investment from Keysight Technologies, Inc. The investment deepens the existing partnership between the two companies, aiming to accelerate the development and adoption of advanced monitoring solutions for the capital markets sector. The collaboration will leverage Keysight’s global reach and support infrastructure to expand the availability of InstrumentiX’s products worldwide.

The partnership addresses the challenge financial institutions face with legacy monitoring systems unable to keep pace with modern markets. InstrumentiX’s xMetrics platform provides firms with real-time visibility across their trading infrastructure to help them optimise performance and meet regulatory obligations. The combined offering will integrate InstrumentiX’s analytics with Keysight’s visibility technologies, while joint research and development will speed innovation. The xMetrics platform is built for flexible adoption and can be integrated with existing systems or deployed as a managed service.

Integral Launches PrimeOne, the First Stablecoin-Based Crypto Prime Brokerage

Integral, specialists in FX and digital asset technology, has launched PrimeOne, the world’s first crypto prime brokerage built on stablecoins. The platform, developed on the Codex Layer-1 EVM blockchain, provides institutional-grade credit, trading, and net settlement services within a single, integrated system.

PrimeOne allows clients to access leading crypto market makers and exchanges through one account, simplifying the onboarding process with a single AML/KYC check and removing credit requirements. Its on-chain infrastructure ensures clients retain full control over their assets. As the value of open positions fluctuates, margin, in the form of USD stablecoins, is automatically moved between counterparty wallets in real-time.

This real-time settlement of margin aims to minimise counterparty credit risk and sets trading limits dynamically based on participants’ balances. The system is designed to improve liquidity and operational efficiency while significantly reducing capital requirements and credit exposure for institutional clients.

Deutsche Börse Group and Circle to Collaborate on Stablecoin Integration for Financial Markets

Deutsche Börse Group and Circle Internet Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate Circle’s EURC and USDC stablecoins into Deutsche Börse’s financial market infrastructure. This agreement, a first of its kind in Europe, aims to develop new solutions for market participants by linking token-based payment networks with traditional financial systems. The initiative is made possible by the EU’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCAR), with Circle being the first major global issuer to achieve compliance.

The collaboration will initially focus on listing and trading the stablecoins on 360T’s digital exchange, 3DX, and through institutional crypto provider Crypto Finance, both part of Deutsche Börse Group. The partnership will also establish institutional-grade digital asset custody via Deutsche Börse’s post-trade business, Clearstream, using Crypto Finance as a sub-custodian. This move is a key step in Deutsche Börse’s digital leadership strategy, building upon its existing crypto services and complementing its work on wholesale central bank digital currencies.

TRG Screen Launches AI Assist Feature within PEAR Platform

TRG Screen has launched AI Assist, a new feature for its PEAR (Policies, Explanations, Analytics, Repository) platform. The tool introduces a conversational interface that allows users to ask plain-language questions about exchange licensing requirements and receive immediate, context-aware answers. The information is sourced directly from TRG Screen’s proprietary knowledge base.

Developed in-house and tested with customers, AI Assist is designed to save time and make it easier for market data and compliance professionals to interpret complex and frequently changing exchange policies. The feature provides users with free-form question capabilities, delivering answers in seconds.

This launch is a key step in TRG Screen’s wider artificial intelligence strategy. The company recently appointed Amjad Zoghbi as Head of AI to accelerate its AI development, and this new feature demonstrates how that investment is translating into client value by bringing AI-powered efficiency to market data management.

Canton Network Partners with Chainlink to Accelerate Institutional Blockchain Adoption

The Canton Network, a permissionless blockchain designed for institutional finance, has entered a strategic partnership with oracle platform Chainlink. The collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of the Canton Network ecosystem by financial institutions. As part of the agreement, the Canton Network will join the Chainlink Scale programme and integrate key services, including Chainlink Data Streams, SmartData, and the Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP). Chainlink Labs will also operate as a Super Validator on the network.

This partnership provides institutions using Canton with access to Chainlink’s established infrastructure, which secures over $100B in assets across the digital economy. Under the Scale programme, the Canton Network will cover certain operating costs for Chainlink oracle nodes, thereby enhancing its own connectivity, resilience, and transparency. The move is designed to support further innovation in tokenised assets, stablecoins, and digital identity solutions on the network, which already supports over $6T in on-chain assets and processes $280bn in daily repos.

Eurex to Launch Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) Index Futures

Derivatives Exchange Eurex will launch a new trading segment for Quantitative Investment Strategies (QIS) index futures on 27 October 2025. The initiative is a partnership with Premialab, a specialist provider of QIS data and analytics. This move extends Eurex’s “futurisation” strategy, bringing products that are typically traded over-the-counter (OTC) onto a listed and centrally cleared platform to increase market access and efficiency.

The initial launch will comprise three index futures based on thematic strategies. The underlying indices have been developed by regulated administrators Société Générale and Solactive. Premialab will act as the designated data partner, supplying index levels, performance, and risk analytics to ensure transparency. The new listed products will offer clients cross-margining benefits with other derivatives cleared at Eurex. The exchange plans to expand the product suite based on client demand.

SOLVE Expands Fixed Income Platform with New Predictive Pricing and Analytics Capabilities

SOLVE, the pre-trade data and predictive pricing provider for fixed income markets, has introduced several enhancements to its platform aimed at giving market participants a more unified and actionable view of securities. The updates include new modules for capital structure analysis, enhancements to municipal bond pricing tools, and expanded business development company (BDC) analytics.

Among the new features, the Capital Structure for Workstation module offers an integrated view of bonds and loans across asset classes, with advanced search, portfolio upload, and interactive filtering options. The firm has also launched the AI-powered SOLVE Confidence Score for municipal bonds. Additionally, SOLVE now incorporates analysis from BDC sector expert Nicholas Marshi, providing investors with deeper insights into valuations and portfolio companies.

SOLVE processes around 2 billion data points daily across 1.5 million securities, with predictive pricing now available for more than 200,000 corporate bonds.

Bloomberg Adds AI Portfolio Commentary to PORT Enterprise for Enhanced Investment Analysis

Bloomberg has introduced AI Portfolio Commentary, a new feature within its PORT Enterprise platform, designed to provide automated explanations of portfolio return drivers. By combining attribution data with media coverage from sources such as Bloomberg News, the tool generates contextualised portfolio summaries, helping investment teams streamline reporting and focus on strategic decision-making across both fixed income and equity portfolios.

The update expands PORT Enterprise’s capabilities by delivering granular insights into allocation and selection decisions, supported by Bloomberg’s company-level data and risk models.

AI Portfolio Commentary aligns with Bloomberg’s wider initiative to integrate AI tools into its investment management solutions, including RMS Enterprise and the Bloomberg Terminal.