MSCI, a leading provider of indices to the ETF industry, is making a push into the digital asset ecosystem.
Henry Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of MSCI.
The firm has announced a strategic alliance with Menai Financial Group, a provider of institutional-grade digital asset investment products and trading services.
The two companies will cooperate to develop a robust framework for classifying digital assets, as well as a suite of analytical tools delivering insights into performance, risk, and the relationship between digital assets and traditional assets.
MSCI follows rivals S&P Dow Jones Indices, FTSE Russell, and Bloomberg, which have already begun to roll out suites of digital asset indices.
The growing seriousness with which leading index providers are approaching digital assets is largely a function of rising adoption and demand from institutional investors.
According to a survey from Fidelity, 70% of institutional investors globally, including advisors, family offices, pensions, hedge funds, and endowments, are interested in digital assets, and more than 90% of those who are interested expect to have an allocation to digital assets within clients’ portfolios by 2026.
Henry Fernandez, Chairman and CEO of MSCI, said: “While investors are eager to enter the digital asset market as it matures, there is a 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 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, added: “Institutional players are keen to participate in 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.”