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.

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.

Broadridge Launches Web-based ESG Performance Dashboard

FinTech Broadridge Financial Solutions has unveiled its ESG Performance Dashboard, which offers companies a view of their sustainability and governance performance. The rankings and ratings are based on more than 300 million data points drawn from 800-plus sources, the New York-company said. The web-located dashboard will show firms where they can make improvements to their ESG records, it added. An extension also enables clients to compare their scores over the past five years.

IBA Upgrades Aviation Carbon Tracking, Analysis Product

Aviation data and advisory firm IBA has upgraded its Carbon Emissions Calculator to help airlines report and analyse their fleets’ carbon footprints. The service is accessible through the UK-based company’s expanded InsightIQ product. IBA said the improvements had been made after it consulted more than 100 companies following the product’s launch in March. For investors, the new-look InsightIQ will also offer information on companies’ investments for ESG compliance.

SimCorp Adds Investment Accounting as a Service

SimCorp, a provider of Software-as-a-Service investment management solutions, has added Investment Accounting as a Service in response to increased demand from buy-side clients to outsource back-office functions.

The multi-asset class service is based on the SimCorp Dimension platform and is part of the company’s drive to become a technology-enabled services company. It will deliver timely, accurate and transparent multi-jurisdictional and regulatory compliant accounting, analytics and reporting, as well as an advisory overlay. It also provides interoperability and validates post-trade data, performs reconciliations, and ensures international accounting standards compliance.