AFTAs 2021: Best analytics initiative—Charles Schwab Investment Advisory
OVERVIEW
Charles Schwab’s ability to scale and publish new model results was a choke point and their formats and exploration features were designed and developed disparately.
The firm’s QuantScape unifies the model result representation and data services used in the dissemination of model results.
Financial consultants are in need of intuitive tools to interrogate thousands of financial model results on a weekly basis across a spectrum of global equities, ETFs, and mutual funds to support portfolio investment decisions.
THE SOLUTION
Quantscape replaces legacy model output distribution and analysis mechanisms with an intuitive user interface powered by a modern technology stack.
The design starts with a flexible hierarchical data model that supports drilldown into the multifactor quant model results.
This data model feeds modern technical frameworks inclusive of MongoDB (database), GraphQL (data query), AG Grid (data exploration), and Angular (data presentation).
“The QuantScape application is the outcome of team empowerment and autonomy. Schwab Center for Financial Research (SCFR) identified gaps in our operational workflow and model result exploration capabilities. The tech team embraced the problem space and worked with stakeholders to identify the vision that resolved the issues. Over the course of a year and several design iterations the application came to life and is now considered central to all model operations. Innovations like this come from the ingenuity and skill that we are fortunate to have within SCFR Technology. They are worthy of public recognition and our internal gratitude.”
WHAT’S TO COME
The product roadmap includes ratings block management workflow, input data exploration, weekly publication approval workflows, operational dashboards and more.
The QuantScape platform will grow in terms of the number of quant models it serves and depth of capabilities offered.
WHY THEY WON
QuantScape has provided a platform that allows for the digitization of quant model development workflows. There is a growing need from financial consultants to improve quant model transparency and model output filtering. Charles Schwab Investment Advisory has identified this need and is working to provide for it.
Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.
To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@waterstechnology.com or view our subscription options here: https://subscriptions.waterstechnology.com/subscribe
You are currently unable to print this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (point 2.4), printing is limited to a single copy.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (clause 2.4), an Authorised User may only make one copy of the materials for their own personal use. You must also comply with the restrictions in clause 2.5.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
More on Awards & Rankings
Most innovative market data project/initiative—firmfact
Firmfact automates market‑data contracts, invoices and entitlements for banks and asset managers. Its AI reads documents, matches invoices line‑by‑line and verifies licences with minimal keying.
Best market data newcomer (vendor or product)—Octaura
Octaura’s Insights Platform is an integrated market intelligence and analytics offering purpose-built for the leveraged loan market.
Best market data provider (broker)—Fenics Market Data & Analytics
FMD’s Broker Data service draws on BGC Group’s global brokerage operations to provide pricing, trade and order-flow information across FX, rates, fixed income, commodities and derivatives.
Best evaluated pricing service provider/vendor—Infront
Infront Quant supplies independent, cross‑asset valuations with a “white‑box approach”, offering level 1 and 2 transparency.
IMD & IRD Awards 2026 winner’s interview—Smartstream
Smartstream wins Best reference data managed service at the IMD & IRD Awards 2026
Best reference data integration vendor—Gresham
Gresham’s AI-native EDM Suite combines data from disparate sources and systems and provides user-firms with a single point of integration across the data life cycle.
Best ESG data initiative—Bloomberg
Bloomberg’s Impact and Allocation dataset provides investors with a consistent means of assessing how proceeds are being deployed and what outcomes issuers report.
Best AI/machine learning data initiative—FactSet
FactSet unveiled its MCP server in December 2025, allowing secure, authorized access to the firm’s data from third‑party AI tools.
