A-Team Insight Brief
JPM Digs in the Dirt for Supply-Chain Risk Data
JP Morgan Asset Management will soon be using soil analysis data among other forensic sources to calculate supply-chain risk to its investments. As part of the effort, the investment arm of the New York-based banking giant has reportedly hired a third-party vendor to examining soil samples to discover the sources of cotton used by clothing companies. The bank is trialling the use of forensic data after attempts to source similarly granular information using AI proved unsatisfactory.
Transcend Includes ESG Criteria in Collateral Analytics
Analytics provider to the collateralised markets Transcend will incorporate ESG criteria into its processes. Clients will be able to add ESG performance metrics into their collateral management and workflows. The New Jersey-based company will include metrics including restriction lists, KPI data as well as ESG scores and ratings.
Avelacom Offers New PoP at Bursa Malaysia
Infrastructure and data solutions provider Avelacom has deployed a new point-of-presence (PoP) at Bursa Malaysia, to extend its network footprint into Malaysia capital markets. Avelacom recently set up a PoP in Bangkok at the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), extended its partnership with Singapore Exchange (SGX), and became a Japan Exchange Group (JPX) arrownet-Global Partner Network provider.
Quant Insight Targets Retail Traders with iQbyQi Institutional-Grade Analytics
Analytics and trading insights provider Quant Insight has launched iQbyQi, providing retail traders in EMEA with what the company calls institutional-grade analytics, previously available only to asset managers and hedge funds. iQbyQi, which initially will be made available via online brokers, uses cloud-based AI to analyse millions of data points in real time in order to highlight opportunities and risks, then broadcast insights and analytics tailored specifically to individual traders. Coverage ranges from FX to single stocks, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies and futures.
Mitsui Bussan Commodities Rolls Out MDXT to Metals Trading Desk
Mitsui Bussan Commodities (MBCL) has expanded its use of MDX Technology, the front office trader collaboration solution. Initially implemented to support real-time data sharing across MBCL’s global energy trading business, MDXT will soon be deployed to the metals team, who will use it to collaborate and share key data. This will support MCBL’s clients in managing the impact of price fluctuations across their value chains to reduce exposure, according to the company.
Dow Jones Launches New ESG Data Service Covering 6,000 Companies
Dow Jones has begun offering sustainability scores on 6,000 companies in data sets that are aligned with Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards. The new service combines company-disclosed information and sentiment scores gathered from global news outlets. Companies assessed will be gauged across 26 sustainability categories and the data backtested an analysed using machine learning, the New York-based financial markets and information provider said.
ISS Tool Aims to Tame Labels and Standards Tangle
ISS ESG has launched a tool that the data provider hopes will help asset managers and owners navigate the complex field of sustainability reporting labels and standards. The new product, which became operational this month, will enable clients to comply with the reporting frameworks of standards setters the world over. In its initial iteration, the ISS ESG Labels and Standards Solutions will cover AMF, GreenFin, AFG, Nordic Swan, UNGC, Label SRI, Label Relance and Towards Sustainability (Febelfin) frameworks. Others will be rolled out later.
Instinet Joins as First Executing Broker on Appital Bookbuilding Platform
Instinet has collaborated with Appital to create a channel for buy-side firms to gain greater exposure to European deal flow and block trading opportunities. Instinet will be the first executing broker to work with the Appital Bookbuilding platform. Through the partnership, any deal flow that is formed and negotiated on the Appital platform can be executed via Instinet. The platform unlocks latent liquidity and drives a bookbuilding process providing deal originators with opportunities to execute large volumes with minimal market impact or risk of price erosion. Deal participants can set their own preferences to ensure they are only exposed and alerted to relevant liquidity. The platform is scheduled for launch in Europe in 2022, and is currently going through a formal onboarding process.
OpenGamma Secures $21 Million Funding Led by Allianz X
London-based OpenGamma has secured a total investment of $21 million in its latest funding round, led by Allianz X with participation from existing investors. OpenGamma will use the funding to expand its offering, including the launch of automated workflow solutions for treasury management for asset managers and other financial institutions. OpenGamma helps firms optimise the capital efficiency of their portfolios, particularly when it comes to posting collateral in derivative transactions. The company specialises in margin analytics and has developed coverage for a large inventory of derivatives products.
Happy 30th Anniversary ANNA
The Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) celebrates its 30th anniversary this week. The association was founded on 29 January 1992 by 22 National Numbering Agencies (NNAs) following publication of the International Securities Identification Number (ISIN) standard ISO 6166 on the 1 November 1981, a standard driven by industry need to improve cross-border trading. ANNA now has 119 members and partners globally allocating ISINs for more than 200 jurisdictions. Its mission is to foster standardisation in the financial industry by upholding and promoting ISO’s principles for adoption, development and maintenance of the ISIN to identify, FISN to describe, and CFI to classify financial and referential instruments.