Goldman Sachs has teamed up with MSCI to offer enhanced portfolio analytics and more efficient workflows to its institutional clients.

MSCI provides critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community.

The partnership will leverage the expertise of both companies in data and risk management to provide ‘higher quality analytics’ across their institutional client platforms.

Goldman Sachs Marquee, the firm’s digital platform for institutional investors, has enabled accessibility to MSCI’s risk factor models.

Similarly, MSCI clients can now access Goldman Sachs’ volatility data through MSCI RiskManager, for improved precision in risk management.

Banking software firm Temenos has integrated digital asset and blockchain infrastructure fintech Taurus onto its marketplace.

The Switzerland-based fintech recently gained a securities firm license from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA). This made Taurus the first independent regulated marketplace for digital assets in the would. It can cover cryptocurrencies including Staking and Decentralised Finance (DeFi), any type of tokenised assets on any standard including issuance and full-lifecycle management, and digital currencies.

Now, Temenos banking clients can simply access digital assets. This is through Temenos MarketPlace, a community of fintech solutions.

The collaboration allows banks to provide custody to a wide range of digital assets. In addition, they can create tokenised products of their choice.

Decisive Capital Management has selected wealth management and private banking software company New Access to enhance its operations globally.

Under the tie-up, Decisive will boost its core capabilities in managing clients’ current and emerging needs by moving its Core system, Portfolio Management System and Digital activity to an integrated global platform.

New Access’ Core-to-its Digital solution, combined with its client lifecycle management system ‘Banker’s Front’, is said to advance process automation and standardisation.

Goldman Sachs has been reportedly ramping up its employee headcount in mainland China and Hong Kong in the first four months of the year.

The US-based investment giant is in the process of recruiting 320 staff, including 70 resources to focus on investment banking coverage, Bloomberg reported citing a person familiar with the development.

Goldman is planning to hire another 100 employees through the rest of the year, according to the source who asked not to be identified as the matter is confidential.

A majority of the new hires are expected to fill newly created roles at the firm.

Goldman Sachs Todd Leland is said to working to implement a China strategy that looks to acquire 100% of a securities venture and to launch a new asset management unit on the mainland.

Said to be presented to the company’s board in late 2019, this five-year plan outlines doubling its employee count to 600 in China and expanding in advisory, securities, and wealth management.

A media representative for the firm in Hong Kong declined to comment on the new hires.

Schroders has reportedly abandoned a plan to acquire investment manager M&G after evaluating the deal for months.

Earlier this year, the British asset manager hired a partner to analyse a potential demerger of M&G by breaking up its asset management operations from its pension and insurance division.

The deal, which would have formed a UK fund powerhouse managing over $1trn of assets, has been ditched by Schroders over cost concerns, Bloomberg reported citing undisclosed sources.

Schroders did not initiate any formal discussions with M&G over a potential deal, the sources said.

The M&G is said to have a market value of £5.7bn currently, after its shares more than doubled from their low in last March.

The firm offers equities, bonds, and property funds, in addition to providing infrastructure and alternative investment.

It also provides a range of pension, retirement, and insurance products in the UK and Europe.

BlackRock has reportedly secured licence in China for a majority-owned wealth management venture with a China Construction Bank (CCB) unit and Singapore state investor Temasek.

The venture will leverage the US asset manager’s investment expertise and CCB’s distribution network, according to a report by Reuters.

BlackRock owns a 50.1% holding in the venture while 40% stake is held by CCB’s wealth management unit.

BlackRock CCB Wealth Management is expected to bolster the company’s presence in China’s evolving asset management space.

BlackRock chairman and CEO Laurence Fink said that BlackRock will support China in building a sustainable ecosystem for investing.