IMD & IRD Awards 2017: All the winners and why they won

In this year’s awards, FactSet Research Systems unseated Bloomberg, winning the Best Market Data Provider (Vendor) award that Bloomberg has won every year since the inaugural awards in 2003. In addition, FactSet took home the Best Analytics Provider award that it also won last year.

In another display of excellence, SIX Financial Information scooped the prizes three categories: Best Corporate Actions Provider, which it won for the eighth year in a row; Most Innovative Regulatory Solution, for its Sanctioned Securities Monitoring Service; and the Best Overall Data/Service Provider award, which was awarded based on a combination of the reader poll, submissions in judged categories, and other industry initiatives.

Other entrants notable for multiple wins were Thomson Reuters and SmartStream, picking up two awards apiece. Thomson Reuters won Best Reference Data Provider and Best Mobile Initiative for its Eikon Messenger on Mobile service, while SmartStream’s Reference Data Utility won Best Reference Data Integration Vendor and Best Reference Data Initiative for the introduction of its Listed Derivatives Reference Data Service.

This year, we moved more categories from the reader poll segment to the judging panel segment of the awards. One reason is that it forces entrants to provide demonstrable metrics of success for the products and services they submit, and to articulate which regulations or market needs they address, and how.

With competition increasing in the data industry, with new services and new players coming to market, and with a host of market and regulatory pressures driving firms’ strategic decisions, excellence has to be par for the course.

The winners

Hall of Fame—Chris Johnson

Best Market Data Provider (Vendor)—FactSet

Best Market Data Provider (Exchange)—London Stock Exchange

Best Market Data Provider (Broker)—Tullett Prebon Information

Best New Data Product—IHS Markit

Acquisition of the Year—CBOE

Best Enterprise Data Management Vendor—GoldenSource

Best Reference Data Provider—Thomson Reuters

Best Evaluated Prices Service Provider—Bloomberg

Best Real-Time Market Data Initiative (Vendor)—MarketAxess

Best Analytics Provider—FactSet

Most Innovative Market Data Project (Vendor)—OTC Markets

Best Research Provider—S&P Global Market Intelligence

Best Low-Latency Data/Technology Provider—Nasdaq Market Technology

Best Big Data Analytics & Technology Provider—S3 Partners

Best Mobile Initiative—Thomson Reuters

Best Market Data Newcomer (Product)—Advantage Data

Best Supporting Services Provider—Jordan & Jordan

Most Innovative Regulatory Solution—SIX Financial Information

Best Reference Data Integration (Vendor)—The SmartStream RDU

Best Managed Service for Reference Data—Broadridge

Best Corporate Actions Data Provider—SIX Financial Information

Best Enterprise Data Management Initiative (Vendor)—Eagle Investment Systems

Best Reference Data Initiative (Vendor)—The SmartStream RDU

Winner’s Circle—The SmartStream RDU

Best Corporate Actions Initiative (Vendor)—DTCC

Best Reference Data Newcomer (Product)—AIM Software

Best Overall Data/Service Provider—SIX Financial Information