Morningstar Unveils New SDG-Aligned Benchmarks

A new set of indexes created by Morningstar will enable investors to put their money into companies that are aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDFs). The research giant will include in the Morningstar Global Sustainable Activities Involvement Indexes (SAI) only companies that also committing a substantial proportion of their revenue to one or more impact themes.

Tradefeedr Launches Algo Forecasting Suite for Selecting FX Execution Algos

Tradefeedr, the independent FX Data Analytics Platform, has launched the Algo Forecasting Suite, a collection of pre- and post-trade tools for analysing and selecting the most appropriate FX execution algos. The new service provides decision support in terms of whether to use an FX algo, expected algo behaviour, and the most suitable algo given market conditions, risk appetite, time, or audit constraints. It also provides post-trade analytics versus Tradefeedr forecasts, as well as metrics around opportunity costs.

The Algo Forecasting Suite is available via API and Excel, and will shortly be added to the Tradefeedr dashboard of services.

European Exchanges Agree on Joint Initiative for Equities Consolidate Tape

Fourteen European exchange groups are collaborating for the provision of a consolidated tape (CT) for equities in the European Union. The participating exchanges have signed a term sheet to establish a joint venture that will evaluate and prepare an application as a CT provider in a future selection process.

The project will focus on providing a comprehensive, standardised and consistent source of market data through the CT, and will seek to collaborate with regulators to develop the optimal solution for investors.

ISSB Nails Down Technicalities of Standards for June Release

The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has completed the technical drafting of global reporting standards it plans to make effective for signatories in January. The technical details of the framework have been partly based on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). They are due to be announced in June and the first disclosures by companies reporting under them will be due in 2025.

SEC’s Gensler Says Regulator is Considering Climate Proposals

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US is mulling the alteration of some of its climate-reporting proposals, which were announced last year. Chair of the regulator Gary Gensler said about 15,000 comments had been sent from market participants after the proposals were put out for consultation. Gensler said the adjustments were being considered to bring “consistency and comparability to disclosures”.

Fitch Mulls Inclusion of Climate Risks in Credit Scores

Fitch is seeking views on the inclusion of climate-risk factors in the calculation of the broad credit worthiness scores it provides for thousands of companies. The ratings company said its Climate Vulnerability Scores, which it provides separate to regular credits ratings, could provide an additional screen in the assessment of firms’ credit worthiness.

French Regulator Wants Tougher Guarantees in SFDR

The French financial regulator, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), has urged a rethink of part of the European Union’s wide-ranging ESG reporting rules. The AMF wants to see minimal environmental impact standards for ESG-linked funds, arguing that without them, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) would inadvertently encourage greenwashing.

TNFD To Unveil COP15 Influenced Iteration of Reporting Framework

The Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) is to release the latest version of its guide on how financial institutions should report on their biodiversity risks. The fourth iteration, due next month, is informed by the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) agreed at the COP15 in Montreal late last year. Target 15, of the GBF’s 23 aims, is designed to harness private finance to protect nature.

BMLL Signs Johannesburg Stock Exchange as New Client

BMLL, the historical Level 3 data and analytics provider, has added the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) to its roster of exchange clients. BMLL’s data coverage will now extend to include JSE data across equities and ETFs, while the JSE will use BMLL’s Level 3 Data and analytics for cross-venue analysis, offering market participants insights into market structure and performance metrics.

The JSE data sets will complement BMLL’s existing coverage of more than seven years of historic data spanning global equities, ETFs and futures across 65+ trading venues. And by using BMLL’s data and analytics capabilities, the JSE is now able to evidence the quality of execution against a global, independently verified peer set.

FINBOURNE Selected by Bloomberg, MarketAxess and Tradeweb to Build Fixed Income Consolidated Tape

Following a closely fought tender process against a number of industry peers, FINBOURNE Technology has been selected as the technology infrastructure provider for the Bloomberg, MarketAxess and Tradeweb initiative to build a consolidated tape (CT) for fixed income in Europe.

In a media statement, the company said it had spent significant time collaborating with capital markets firms, regulators and industry bodies, to collectively understand the data, its quality and how to deliver a resilient and practical CT to the market.