ENSO Expands Broker Vote Tool to Offer Leading MiFID II Research Solution Powered by RSRCHXchange

ENSO, a NEX Group business and leading portfolio finance and centralized treasury management solution for the buy-side, announces today that it plans to expand the ENSO Broker Vote tool (“Broker Vote”) to include MiFID II research consumption, powered by RSRCHXchange, the MiFID II compliant marketplace for institutional research. The expanded tool will provide buy-side institutions with evidence-based evaluation of research providers and budget setting to comply with upcoming 2018 regulatory requirements.

The expanded Broker Vote tool will provide clients with a clear methodology for research payments, fully validating how payments for research were reached based on the quantity and quality of services provided. In addition, ENSO clients will be able to value each research provider based on their total consumption, wallet commissions and overall quality ratings.

Broker Vote maintains its industry-wide known broker vote functionality while clearly linking services to payments for research and avoiding any conflicts of interest with execution under MiFID II.

Matthew Bernard, Chief Executive Officer of ENSO, said: “MiFID II is a key focus not only for our clients, but for the broader marketplace in 2017. By expanding our Broker Vote tool we are able to deliver an enhanced solution to address the pivotal research requirements for both our sell-side and buy-side clients alike. At NEX, we have a strong history of partnering with businesses that are addressing tomorrow's issues. We are excited to collaborate with RSRCHXchange to solve this problem for our clients and the market.”

Vicky Sanders, Co-Chief Executive Officer of RSRCHXchange, said: “We are excited to be working with ENSO and enhancing their Broker Vote tool. They are award-winning innovators and they are providing the industry with an evidenced Broker Vote tool, which is not only MiFID II compliant, but also best in breed."

RSRCHXchange is the latest company to join Euclid Opportunities portfolio, NEX Group’s financial technology investment business. RSRCHXchange launched RSRCHX, its marketplace and MiFID II workflow solution for institutional research in 2015, in anticipation of the unbundling rules which come into force in January 2018.

Pairing ENSO’s community of more than $1 trillion in client assets under advisory (AUA) and 14 major broker-dealers with RSRCHXchange’s more than 1,000 asset management firms and over 200 bank, broker and boutique research providers, establishes a powerful buy-side and sell-side client base who are actively preparing for MiFID II regulations.

ENSO A NEX Group business. ENSO operates within NEX Optimisation which helps clients simplify complexity and optimise resources. We are a leading hedge fund service provider offering clients the ability to use critical business insights to become more competitive while strengthening their broker relationships. Our suite of intuitive, data-driven tools enhances risk and operational transparency and improves transactional efficiency, allowing multi-prime hedge funds and asset managers to optimize structural and variable costs. For more information, go to www.ensofinancial.com

RSRCHXCHANGE is the MiFID II compliant marketplace for institutional research, a purpose-built unbundling solution. Designed in consultation with asset management institutions and research providers, the RSRCHX platform enables asset management firms to consume, purchase and monitor research services from banks, brokers & boutique providers in a more efficient and transparent way. RSRCHXchange was founded in 2014 by an experienced industry team and has grown its user base to over 1,000 buyside firms and over 200 research providers. To find out more, please go to www.rsrchxchange.com or follow us on Twitter @rsrchx

NEX GROUP PLC offers customers better ways to execute trades and manage risk. Our products and services underpin the entire trade lifecycle pre-, during and post-execution. Our electronic trading platforms are industry standards. Customers use our lifecycle management and information services to optimise portfolios, control risk and reduce costs. We partner with emerging technology companies to bring greater efficiency, transparency and scale to the world’s capital markets. NEX is headquartered in London with offices worldwide. For more information, go to www.nex.com

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