ISI Markets acquires EPFR, rebrands to strengthen global intelligence platform

ISI Markets, a leading provider of macroeconomic data and global intelligence, has announced its acquisition of EPFR, a renowned leader in fund flows and allocation data. This strategic move marks a significant expansion for ISI Markets, reinforcing its commitment to delivering comprehensive and proprietary macro-to-micro data for global financial markets.

With this acquisition, ISI Markets integrates EPFR’s extensive macro funds flow dataset, enhancing its capability to provide detailed insights into global market trends. EPFR, known for its robust coverage of global fund flows, will now operate under the ISI Markets umbrella alongside its existing global macroeconomic and financial data business, CEIC. This merger aims to offer clients a unified platform that combines data on investor sentiment and money movements with superior integration and enhanced analytical capabilities.

Steve Pulley, CEO of ISI Markets, described the acquisition as a pivotal development in the company’s evolution. He emphasised that it would significantly broaden ISI Markets’ buy- and sell-side relationships across North America and Europe while expanding its proprietary data assets. Pulley noted that ISI Markets is now uniquely positioned to offer extensive coverage of both developed and emerging markets, enhancing its role as a leading global data and intelligence platform.

Pascal Ambrosi, Partner at Montagu, highlighted the strategic alignment between EPFR and ISI Markets. Ambrosi pointed out that the acquisition reflects the strong synergy that has developed between the two entities. He anticipated that the merger would facilitate expansion into North American, European, and Asian markets, further enhancing their ability to support buy- and sell-side client workflows.

The acquisition follows an earlier partnership in which ISI Markets integrated EPFR’s fund flows and asset allocation data into CEIC’s workflow and analytics platform. This integration, which tracks over 150,000 traditional and alternative fund-share classes, allows investment professionals to gain deeper insights into the relationships between economic factors, investor sentiment, and asset class performance.

EPFR, which was carved out from Informa PLC by Montagu in October 2022, represents the second major acquisition by ISI Markets since Montagu acquired the company in December 2020. This follows ISI Markets’ acquisition of REDD Intelligence, a prominent provider of emerging market corporate and sovereign intelligence. Additionally, ISI Markets offers EMIS, an award-winning AI-powered market intelligence and research platform, further expanding its suite of analytical tools.

This acquisition positions ISI Markets to better serve its diverse client base, including asset managers, hedge funds, and banks, by offering a comprehensive and integrated data solution that supports improved investment decisions and enhanced workflow efficiencies.