Finastra Adds €STR, TONAR and SORA Rates to Fusion LIBOR Transition Calculator

Finastra has introduced additional Alternative Reference Rates (ARR) and Risk-Free Rates (RFRs) to its Fusion LIBOR Transition Calculator. The move enables banks, corporates and borrowers to calculate ARR in preparation for the end of the majority of LIBOR rates on December 31, 2021. In addition to SOFR for the US dollar and SONIA for pounds sterling, the calculator service now incorporates ARR rates €STR for the euro and TONAR for the Japanese yen, and the RFR rate SORA for the Singapore dollar.

The calculator service is available through Finastra’s FusionFabric.cloud open innovation platform and can be integrated with a bank’s existing lending systems. The use of Open APIs facilitates integration with legacy systems that have not been prepared for the LIBOR transition and are unable to perform complex ARR calculations. The Finastra calculated ARR rates can be directly consumed by these legacy applications, avoiding the need for complex and costly system changes.

BMLL Launches Level 3 Futures Data Service

Data and analytics vendor BMLL has expanded its Level 3 data set with full-depth order book data from CME, Eurex and ICE. The service covers all major futures asset classes, including equities, fixed income, short-term interest rates, commodities, cryptocurrencies and FX. The new data sets will provide clients with the ability to do complex, Level 3 Data analysis at scale across venues and markets, according to the company. With the harmonised data and the BMLL Data Lab, clients can look at multiple years of trading history on CME, Eurex and ICE in a consistent format, to enable rapid testing of trading strategies.

Morningstar Embeds Sustainalystics’ Country Risk Data in its MSR

Financial research provider Morningstar has incorporated Sustainalytics’ country risk ratings to its own Morningstar Sustainability Rating (MSR) product. The data field will be added to the MSR, which offers intelligence on 85,000 fund worldwide. The service is accessible to investors on Morningstar’s website, Morningstar Direct and Morningstar Advisor Workstation. The Canadian company said the new embedded content would be especially useful for assessing the ESG risks of corporate and sovereign fixed-income instruments.

Confluence Bolsters Equities Analytics with AlphaBetaWorks Tech

ESG-data analysis specialist Confluence Analytics said it has enabled greater refinement of equities risk research with the integration of technology provided by AlpahBetaWorks. Pennsylvania-based Confluence said the deal would enable higher-level ESG risk modelling to be included in its ESG Signals and ESG KPI Forecasts products. The upgraded offerings “will address critical shortcomings of legacy ESG investment approaches and deliver superior results for investors and asset allocators”, said Grigori Kapoustin, Principal at California-headquartered AlphaBetaWorks.

Germany’s BaFin to Take Aim at Greenwashing

Germany’s financial regulator, the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), has made fighting greenwashing one its chief aims. The Bonn- and Frankfurt-based body said it would seek to combat “misleading marketing practices” in sustainable finance as one of its 10 medium-term objectives. The overseer launched a consultation in August on drawing up guidelines to establish best practices for labelling of securities described as green or sustainable. The new list of objectives, which continue to be topped by securing the stability of financial markets, will guide BaFin’s activities through to 2025.

IOSCO Suggests Regulation of ESG Data and Tech Vendors

A body comprising global securities regulators gas suggested individual national watchdogs keep ESG data and technology providers under their gaze. The Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) said in a report that the growing importance of ESG data and tech vendors made it prudent to encompass them within regulatory remits remits. The report follows an IOSCO consultation on the matter launched in July and comes on the heels of revelations last month that the UK is considering such a move.

SS&C Makes Approach to Acquire London-Based Automation Specialist Blue Prism

SS&C Technologies has made a preliminary approach to Blue Prism Group regarding a possible cash offer to acquire the entire issued and to-be-issued share capital of the company. London-based Blue Prism is a global leader in enterprise intelligent automation. “Automation has been at the forefront of SS&C’s technology initiatives for several years now,” says Bill Stone, chairman and CEO of SS&C Technologies. “Blue Prism’s innovative solutions are recognised as a leader by robotic process automation analysts, and we believe the company would complement our existing products, particularly Chorus, our intelligent automation solution.”

ICE Benchmark Administration Updates on LIBOR Cessation and Synthetic LIBOR

ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA), the authorised and regulated administrator of LIBOR, has provided an update regarding LIBOR cessation and synthetic LIBOR following announcements from the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) made over the past year and focusing on when LIBOR settings will cease and the creation of a synthetic methodology for selected LIBOR settings through 2022.

Digital Token Identifier Foundation Issues First Official DTI Code

DTI Foundation, the registration agency for ISO standard Digital Token Identifiers (DTIs), has issued a first official DTI code for FINXFLO’s native FXF token. FINXFLO, a cryptocurrency liquidity aggregator, says the initiative will promote standards for digital assets and provide a step towards a well-regulated marketplace. DTI Foundation, a non-profit organisation established by Etrading Software, has also welcomed FINXFLO as an additional member of its product advisory committee, which acts as a global arbiter in disputes around the classification and/or treatment of tokens and coins.

Arabesque Data Available of GoldenSource ESG Impact Platform

Enterprise data management company GoldenSource is to enable investors to access Arabesque’s S-Ray ESG data offering through its own cloud-based ESG Impact platform. The deal, which includes the use of Frankfurt-based Arabesque’s SFDR Data Solution, comes weeks before asset managers and other financial institutions must begin reporting on their ESG performance under the European regulations. Arabesque’s S-Ray suite provides emissions and other information on global stocks, drawing on four million data points each day, the company said.