Industry Collaboration Adds LEI Datasets to Amazon Sustainability Data Initiative

A collaboration between the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF), OS-Climate and Amazon has resulted in GLEIF’s real-time Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) datasets being made publicly available for the first time in the cloud via Amazon’s Sustainability Data Initiative (ASDI) data catalog. The move was driven by OS-Climate to allow easier integration of LEI data with its own datasets that support development of open data and open source analytics for climate risk management and climate aligned finance and investment. ASDI’s hosting capabilities simplify programmatic access to the LEI data, which is ingested by OS-Climate’s Data Commons platform, essentially an architecture for building, sharing, and running data and analytics services to evaluate climate finance risks and opportunities.

Moody’s Acquisition of Bogard Expands KYC Coverage for Politically Exposed Persons

Moody’s has acquired Bogard AB, a provider of data and information on politically exposed persons (PEPs) in the Nordic region. The acquisition advances Moody’s ability to help customers perform Know Your Customer (KYC) screening and research to address financial crime. Bogard covers over 17,000 PEPs, relatives, and close associates across Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. Moody’s will integrate Bogard into its KYC business within Moody’s Analytics, and combine Bogard’s data with its existing PEP, sanction, and adverse media data. The transaction builds on Moody’s previous investments in KYC and anti-money laundering (AML) capabilities, and augments its Orbis company database and Grid database of adverse news, sanctions, and PEPs.

IBA Releases US Dollar SOFR ICE Swap Rate for Use as a Benchmark

Intercontinental Exchange’s (ICE) ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA) business has released its US dollar SOFR ICE Swap Rate for use as a benchmark in financial contracts and financial instruments by licensees. The release follows the successful publication of US dollar SOFR ICE Swap Rate settings on an indicative, ‘Beta’ basis since October 1, 2021, and is expected to support the US dollar non-linear derivatives market in its ongoing transition to SOFR. The US dollar SOFR ICE Swap Rate settings are available for the same tenors and published at the same  time as the current US dollar LIBOR ‘1100’ ICE Swap Rate benchmark.

CGS Adds Sustainability Categorisation to Bonds

CUSIP Global Services (CGS) has incorporated ESG indicators for US corporate and municipal bonds within its data feeds. The unit of S&P Global now provides classifications of issuances according to their sustainability attributes. The new feed uses International Capital Market Association (ICMA) and Climate Bonds Initiative methodologies to identify the securities as green, social or sustainable bonds. Roger Fahy, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at CGS, said the new data field was created because the company had been approached by investor clients keen to know how to differentiate between green issuance and “vanilla” debt. “We see there is a need to be able to logically categorise new offerings separate from the general population of debt,” Fahy told A-Team ESG Insight.

LSEG and JPXG to Launch TOPIX-based Climate Indices

New climate indices are to be launched based on the TOPIX 500, offering investors a net-zero benchmark for companies listed on Japan’s stock market. Compiled by London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and Japan Exchange Group (JPX), the FTSE/JPX Net Zero Index Series will be based on the European Union’s Climate Transition Benchmark and will be aligned to meeting net-zero targets by 2050. They will also integrate Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) Management Quality scores, which indicates how far a company has built climate-change policies into its operations. The indices, which will go live early next year, can be used for passive or active investment strategies and will also be available for research use, the LSEG said.

Goldman Sachs Adds Carbon Footprint Measures to Marquee

US investment bank Goldman Sachs has built carbon footprint analyses of companies covered on its Marquee digital marketplace, enabling institutional investors to track the emissions of stocks and corporate bonds within their portfolios. The calculations are based on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions data as well as carbon intensity levels and net-zero commitments. Users will also be able to compare their portfolios against benchmarks that will enable them to analyse carbon contributors by sector, industry and region. Analytics within the offering comply with global standards including the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and the those of the Task Force on Climate-Related Disclosures.

UK’s FCA Seeking Views on ESG Product Labelling

The UK’s financial watchdog is seeking views from market participants on how investment products should be labelled with regard to their sustainability and corporate social responsibility profiles. The Financial Conduct Authority said it was also gathering opinions on supporting entity-level and product-level disclosures. The announcement was made on Finance Day at the COP26 UN climate summit in Glasgow. The findings will shape policy proposals that will go out for consultation in the spring, the FCA said. In its latest Financial Lives survey, the regulator found that 80 per cent of respondents said they wanted their money to “do some good”.

CQG Launches New Suite of Execution Technologies

Chicago-based trading solutions vendor CQG has launched a new suite of execution technologies designed to give market participants new tools to achieve greater efficiencies and optimal trade execution, particularly for large or complex order types. The new suite builds upon software assets CQG acquired from Blue Trading Systems in June 2020, and leverages CQG’s internally-developed technology aimed at providing smart trade execution opportunities for buy-side and sell-side firms.

Kevin Darby, formerly co-founder of BTS who joined CQG last year to lead the integration of the software, is now leading CQG’s new Execution Technologies business unit.

The offering is available through multiple platforms, including CQG Integrated Client, CQG Desktop and various CQG-supported application programming interfaces (APIs).

TNS Strengthens Backbone for European Equities Exchanges

TNS, the financial markets infrastructure provider, has invested in strengthening its European backbone and data solutions, offering ultra-low latency TNS Layer 1 in-datacentre architecture, and expanded market data from all major European equities exchanges.

The company has also added Wiener Boerse AG, which operates the stock exchanges in Vienna and Prague, to its market data portfolio, and is now working with Deutsche Börse to provide access to Eurex and Xetra market data for non-member firms. The additions complement TNS’ existing European equities data portfolio, which includes Cboe Europe, Euronext, Aquis, LSE and SIX Swiss, among others.

MayStreet Adds High Performance Query API to Market Data Lake

New York-based market data technology vendor MayStreet has launched a High Performance Query (HPQ) API to its Market Data Lake, a cloud-based repository of global, cross-asset exchange data, to complement its existing APIs and web-based Analytics Workbench.

The HPQ API enables clients to instantly stream near real-time and historical full-depth data at distinct time intervals of their choosing, without having to pull down an entire day’s worth of market data. In addition to raw tick data, the new API also offers pre-configured calculations for TWAP, VWAP or Completion Time.

The HPQ API is designed to support a number of use cases, including TCA, order routing analysis, volatility fitting, trade desk support and risk. Future enhancements to the API will be introduced starting in Q1 2022.