GRI and IFRS to Launch ESG Reporting Research Lab

Sustainability reporting standards organisation GRI is to launch a research framework with the IFRS Foundation in which companies can discuss and collaborate on meeting their ESG disclosure obligations.

The Sustainability Innovation Lab (SIL) will be based in Singapore in the heart of Asia where 81 per cent of reporting companies do so in alignment with the GRI, the organisation said. Its own standards are in line with those of the IFRS Foundation, which recently published its first reporting frameworks via the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

“The goal of the SIL is to support stakeholders and all market participants on their disclosure journeys, guiding them to address disparities in sustainability reporting requirements while supporting the further harmonization of the reporting landscape at the global level,” the GRI said.

The SIL will be launched in Singapore on November 20.

TS Imagine Partners with Kayenta to Enhance Hedge Fund Treasury Management

TS Imagine has joined forces with Kayenta to integrate Kayenta’s Treasury Management System into TS Imagine’s TS One platform, to enhance finance management capabilities for hedge funds. The partnership aims to provide clients with clearer insights into their financing costs and broker relationships, particularly crucial in the context of rising interest rates.

With Kayenta’s analytics, TS One users will gain comprehensive insights into cash, collateral, and cost management for their multi-asset and multi-prime portfolios, alongside improved automated reporting. The collaboration builds on TS Imagine’s continued expansion of trading and risk management services, following a recent alliance with Cassini Systems for margin and collateral analytics.

interop.io and Infront Team Up for Deutsche Numis Trading Platform Enhancement

Interoperability provider interop.io and Infront, the European financial market data solutions provider, have collaborated to enhance the trading platform for Deutsche Numis, an international investment bank and retail service provider. This initiative comes as retail trading volumes hit record highs, surpassing the meme-stock trading surge of 2021.

To capitalise on this growth, Deutsche Numis has improved its trading execution workflow by utilising interop.io’s platform, io.Connect, to integrate its core Fidessa platform with Infront’s retail service provider quotation (RSP) solution. The connection between the systems includes synchronisation of instruments using tracking groups and colour channels, to improve efficiency and to streamline workflow for traders.

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.

TS Imagine Launches Best Execution Compliance Module

In a development complementing TS Imagine’s recent collaboration with eflow for trade surveillance capabilities, the trading and risk management platform provider has introduced a new module within its TradeSmart OEMS and TS One platforms to enhance Best Execution compliance and reporting for financial traders.

Designed to simplify compliance, the module offers an integrated view of trade activities, automatically records trading actions, provides robust data analysis, event classification and real-time commentary functionalities, and generate best execution reports. The module is pre-programed with more than 60,000 rules from across global jurisdictions, enabling users to automatically record and report their Best Ex compliance.

BMLL Technologies Secures ISO 27001 Certification for Data Security

Level 3 historical data and analytics provider BMLL Technologies, has been awarded the ISO 27001 certification, underscoring its commitment to the highest standards of information security. This international accreditation confirms BMLL’s effectiveness in implementing a robust Information Security Management System (ISMS), covering all aspects of its operations, including the development and management of its analytics platforms and data services.

The certification, awarded after rigorous independent evaluation, confirms that BMLL follows stringent security practices to protect sensitive data, reinforcing the company’s reputation as a trusted provider of Level 3 historical data and analytics to the capital markets industry.