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MSCI Collaborates in Digital Assets

Written by Shanny Basar | Jan 19, 2022 9:18:56 AM

MSCI Inc., a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, announced today its collaboration with Menai Financial Group (“Menai”), a leading provider of institutional-grade digital asset investment products and trading services.

This strategic alliance marks one of MSCI’s first collaborations in the digital asset space. MSCI will aim to develop innovative tools for institutional investors seeking to capitalize on the growth of blockchain technology and digital assets. The collaboration between MSCI and Menai comes at a time when institutional investors are increasingly considering opportunities within the digital asset class.

As investor interest grows, MSCI has recognized the demand for robust frameworks and analytical tools to help provide insights into performance, risk and classification within this emerging asset class. Menai’s expertise in digital assets will support MSCI’s development of the solutions institutional investors can leverage to navigate this market, understand the risks and challenges, and capitalize on emerging opportunities and developments as the rapidly growing industry drives technological change. This collaboration will aim to help institutional investors identify and understand the investment universe for digital assets and the relationship between digital assets and traditional assets.

Henry Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of MSCI, said: “Digital assets often get conflated with cryptocurrencies, but the market is far larger than that. Applications associated with digital assets are transforming long-established technologies such as payment, trading and settlement systems, among others. While investors are eager to enter the digital asset market as it matures, there is need for a robust suite of tools to gain reliable insight into the space.

“We are excited to fill that gap in collaboration with Menai and develop what is needed to power investment decisions in this evolving space. At MSCI, we are committed to capturing market disruptions—like digital assets—and helping our clients better understand their exposure to related trends as they construct portfolios with an eye towards forces shaping our future.”

Zoe Cruz, Founder and CEO of Menai Financial Group, said: “Institutional players are keen to participate in the digital asset markets, but have historically struggled to find the means to do so in a way that meets the high standards of professionalism, scale, risk management, security and rigor required by traditional financial markets. We are thrilled to see a sophisticated, norm-setting player like MSCI enter the digital asset space and are honoured that they have chosen Menai as one of their partners in this endeavour. We look forward to working together with MSCI as it provides institutional investors with transparent, secure and efficient solutions to help navigate the digital assets space.”

Source: MSCI