Schroders Uses Xceptor to Consolidate Applications and Automate Operations

Schroders has selected the Xceptor data automation platform for a range of core business use cases including cash flow data handling and customer onboarding. The investment management firm initially used Xceptor to process incoming transfer agency cashflows into its investment book of record, Blackrock Aladdin. The firm’s expanded use of the platform across operations provides operational resilience and efficiencies through data automation and end-to-end process transformation for business users.

Peter Hilborne, chief operating officer, operations at Schroders, comments: “The initial phases we entrusted to Xceptor comprised critical business functions that the platform handled exceptionally well. By consolidating all other applications into Xceptor, we have radically transformed how we process and automate data.”

Arcesium Offers ESG Book Data Through Aquata Platform

American FinTech provider Arcesium is to offer its financial institution clients sustainability data from ESG Book, the Germany-based vendor and asset manager that is supported by a dozen major banks. Analysis, scores and other metrics on 50,000 companies will be provided by ESG Book through Arcesium’s cloud-based platform called Aquata.

Survey Finds Substantial Surge in Greenwashing

Greenwashing is on the rise within financial institutions, with a quarter of all ESG risk incidents linked to the scourge, up from a fifth last year, according to a new report.

Sustainability science provider RepRisk found 148 cases of greenwashing in compiling its second annual report, which also found that 70 per cent of incidents were attributable to banks and most of those with regard to human rights breaches.

ESG Pillar 3 Disclosure Tool Launched by ISS ESG

ISS ESG’s European bank clients can now take advantage of a tool designed to help them comply with a key sustainability regulation. The company’s ESG Pillar 3 ESG Solution provides templates and disclosure facilities to meet the European Banking Authority’s sustainability reporting standards. Clients can access the service through is own DataDesk as well as an API, cloud and data feeds.

SAP Fioneer Launches Fist ESG Tool for FIs

SAP’s FinTech arm SAP Fioneer has unveiled its first ESG assessment tool for investment portfolios. The Fioneer ESG KPI Engine is available for on-prem or cloud-based platforms and enables banks and insurers to manage portfolios according to particular KPIs.

Deutsche Börse Announces Final Tender Result for Takeover of SimCorp

Deutsche Börse has announced the final tender result for its public takeover of SimCorp. Including open market purchases, Deutsche Börse now holds approximately 94% of all SimCorp shares, excluding SimCorp’s treasury shares. The offer is expected to be settled and closed on 29 September 2023. Deutsche Börse will seek to initiate and complete a compulsory acquisition of the SimCorp shares held by the remaining minority shareholders as soon as possible and have SimCorp shares removed from the official listing on Nasdaq Copenhagen.

Brightwell Selects Duco’s Data Automation Platform

Brightwell, a defined benefit services provider, has selected Duco’s data automation platform as part of its target operating model transformation. The platform will be used in Duco’s investment operations department to replace an inflexible legacy system that was limiting the firm’s growth and will enable Brightwell to normalise data and consolidate reconciliations for FX, OTC and ETD derivatives, fixed income and cash balances as trading volumes grow. Features such as advanced filters, transaction rollup rules, conditional rules and the Data Prep module will also help Brightwell reduce the number of exceptions, allow them to build complex matching rules, and bring down the number of false positives.

China’s E Fund Expands Collaboration with Bloomberg

E Fund Management Co. Ltd., one of the largest fund management companies in China, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand its collaboration with Bloomberg. The expansion will cover areas including financial information, technology and climate change, and is designed to assist E Fund in accelerating its global development.

Xiaoyan Liu, co-chairman of the board and CEO of E Fund, says: “E Fund has been consistently advancing its global development strategy, aiming to provide global clients with better products and services. We are pleased to be working with Bloomberg to create long-term, sustainable value for our investors.”

Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg, adds: “China’s increasing integration with global capital markets has significance for investors everywhere. We’re glad to support China’s leading financial institutions as they expand.”

CDP Urges G20 to Back Nature Disclosures

Nature-related impact disclosures should be made mandatory for financial institutions and companies, CDP has urged on the eve of a meeting of the world’s 20 richest countries and trading blocs. The disclosure organisation warned the G20 that without such data, greenwashing could remain a challenge and that biodiversity would suffer.

KX Adds kdb Insights and kdb Insights Enterprise to Google Cloud Marketplace

KX, a providers of vector and time-series data management, has announced the native availability of kdb Insights and kdb Insights Enterprise on Google Cloud Marketplace. This is a significant milestone in KX’s partnership with Google Cloud and will allow customers to accelerate AI, machine learning, IoT automation, and generative AI-powered applications on Google Cloud.

Ashok Reddy, CEO at KX, says: “Combining our real time analytics and our vector database with the elasticity and scalability of Google Cloud infrastructure will help enterprises rapidly accelerate their journey towards more real time and effective business decision making.”