KX Expands Integration with Microsoft Azure to Foster AI Application Development

KX, a provider of vector and time-series data management, has announced two offerings optimised for Microsoft Azure customers: the integration of KDB.AI with Azure Machine Learning and Azure OpenAI Service; and KX Copilot. The integration of KDB.AI with Azure Machine Learning and Azure OpenAI Service allows developers that require turnkey technology stacks to speed up the process of building and deploying AI applications by accessing fully configured instances of KDB.AI, Azure Machine Learning, and Azure OpenAI Service inside their customer subscription.

KX Copilot helps business eases the execution of complex queries on substantial datasets. Using the Azure-powered KX Copilot and a Microsoft Teams plug-in, customers can leverage vectorised data housed in kdb Insights Enterprise to facilitate better queries using natural language prompts. Users can then manage and explore the data more intuitively to generate critical real-time business insights.

Ashok Reddy, CEO at KX, says: “Generative AI is the defining technology of our age. The introduction of these services will help organisations harness its power for greater risk management, enhanced productivity and real-time decision-making.”

General availability of each KX offering in Azure Marketplace is expected in 2024.

Canoe Intelligence Engages Amplify Advisory as First Partner in Canoe Pro Plan

Canoe Intelligence, a technology provider to the alternatives industry, has released Canoe Pro in collaboration with Amplify Advisory Solutions, a professional services consulting firm that has signed up to the Canoe Pro partner network. By combining Canoe’s alternative investment technology with specialised support from partners such as Amplify, Canoe Pro delivers a unified and comprehensive offering designed to become an extension of the clients’ operations team.

Tim Loughrey, vice president of client success at Canoe Intelligence, says: “Canoe Pro is about equipping clients with the tools and support they need to navigate change and achieve their objectives in a perpetually evolving landscape. It represents the next step in our mission to empower our clients and optimise data management for alternative assets.”

Bloomberg Introduces Intra-Firm Chatbots for Enhanced Digital Collaboration

Bloomberg has launched a new service, IB Connect: Intra-Firm Chatbots, designed to enhance digital collaboration for Bloomberg Terminal users. The add-on allows users to integrate proprietary chatbots into Instant Bloomberg (IB) chat rooms, facilitating the sharing of internal system information and improving in-house business intelligence discovery.

The new service supports two types of chatbots. Q&A Intra-Firm Chatbots enable users to extract actionable intelligence directly into chatrooms, addressing queries using data from internal systems. Notification Intra-Firm Chatbots provide timely updates and alerts within the IB environment, ensuring critical information is seamlessly communicated during workflows. This integration uses natural language processing to structure unstructured IB data, which clients can customise for their unique tech stacks and workflows, adhering to Bloomberg’s API protocols.

DTCC Streamlines OTC Derivatives Data Access

DTCC has launched OTC Direct Connect, a service providing access to OTC derivatives transactions data that is reportable in the US and Canada. The service eliminates manual data collection and providers subscribers in derivatives markets with access to a fast and frictionless data delivery solution that can help them manage market risks and trading risk factors in near real-time.

“This solution systematically and seamlessly disseminates OTC derivatives transaction data to interested parties,” says Tim Lind, managing director of DTCC Data Services. “OTC Direct Connect improves transparency in the OTC derivatives markets, as intended by regulatory disclosure mandates, by providing subscribers with improved information access.”

UK Said to Propose Regulation of ESG Ratings Providers

The UK is to unveil plans to regulate ESG ratings providers, according to a report in the Financial Times. The proposal is expected to be announced in January, the report said Whitehall citing sources.

Any such submission would indicate a change of approach by the country’s regulators, who until now have suggested only that firms providing ratings should work to a voluntary code of conduct to help reduce confusion among investors.

ESG ratings have been criticised for offering widely different ratings from each other on the same companies, making it difficult for investors to assess which would best suit their mandates.

Broadridge Offers AI Tools to Help Asset Managers Optimise Product, Strategy and Distribution Decisions

Broadridge Financial Solutions is offering two AI-enabled analytics tools to optimise product, strategy and distribution decision-making for asset managers. DistributionAI is a natural language digital analyst tool within Broadridge’s Distribution Insight platform that provides access to proprietary global asset management market intelligence and research reports to help asset managers optimise distribution, product development, and sales and marketing.

Global Demand Model measures and analyses demand for asset management products today and in the future. It tracks over $100 trillion of global assets and uses AI-driven models to understand the relationship between asset flows and thousands of predictive capital market and macroeconomic features, coupled to human in the loop systems. This equips asset managers with more confidence in the analysis of current and future product demand.

Quantexa Opens Asia-Pacific Headquarters in Singapore

Quantexa, a provider of decision intelligence solutions, has opened Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore. The opening is part of a broader regional expansion plan and follows the July 2023 start of Quantexa’s Japan operations in Tokyo and long-standing presence in Melbourne, Sydney and Malaysia. Further expansion into Hong Kong is expected in 2024.

The regional headquarters will provide sales, marketing, product management, and professional services capabilities to support customer implementations of the company’s Decision Intelligence Platform. The opening of the Singapore office follows Quantexa’s recent completion of a Series E funding round led by GIC Singapore.

Australia Publishes Proposals for Sustainable Finance Strategy

Australia has outlined its proposed Sustainable Finance Strategy, including a taxonomy to help create a net-zero framework and a labelling system for green investment products.

The Treasury set out its plans in a consultation document that had been promised in December last year. It calls for transparency in reporting climate impacts and materiality.

Like its EU counterpart, the proposed Australian taxonomy would help manufacturers of financial products assess how closely their funds aligned with sustainability principles and targets. The labelling regime will focus on preventing abuse within retail investment markets.

S&P-Oliver Wyman Tie-Up Adds Physical Risk to Climate Data Service

S&P Global Market Intelligence has added climate-related physical risk metrics to its Climate Credit Analytics tool in a tie-up with management consulting firm Oliver Wyman.

The product will be powered by S&P Sustainable1 data on more than 20,000 companies to help financial institutions assess their portfolio exposure to the risks associated with climate change.

Climate Credit Analytics was launched in 2021 with Oliver Wyman. The latest addition maps corporate data across seven climate change-related hazards.

“This new release will serve banks, insurers, asset managers, asset owners and corporate risk managers to quantify climate risks in an even more thorough manner and thereby more readily integrate into business decisions and client engagement,” said Oliver Wyman partner and vice chairman of financial services for the Americas John Colas.

ESG Book Develops EM Data Tool for FII

Sustainability data and technology firm ESG Book has developed a new service for The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute designed to improve ESG data generated from emerging markets.

Non-profit FII enlisted the Germany-based data vendor to create the Inclusive ESG Score to help companies within the regions better report on their sustainability efforts. It is hoped this will plug a US$5.4 billion ESG investment gap in emerging markets.

The initiative was unveiled at the FII’s flagship conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week.“The Inclusive ESG Score is

a next-generation tool for investors that identifies the sustainability leaders of today and tomorrow, with a transparent, data-driven approach that is tailored to emerging markets,” said ESG Book chief executive Daniel Klier. “Through this partnership, we look forward to providing a solution that enhances investment decision-making, and in turn helps to drive greater ESG investment flows to emerging market companies.”