Best AI/machine learning data initiative—FactSet

Initiative overview—FactSet MCP

The initiative that wins this perennially competitive category is FactSet’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, unveiled in December 2025, and designed to enable secure, authorized access to the firm’s data from within third-party artificial intelligence tools, rendering AI-driven workflows more reliable and scalable. By creating a direct connection between large language models (LLMs) and FactSet’s own data, the MCP eliminates consistency, governance and compatibility barriers that can hinder generative AI (GenAI) adoption. The result is an offering that allows financial professionals to spend more time on high-value tasks while safely scaling AI across their research, reporting and decision-making functions.

The premise

FactSet MCP emerged from the firm’s commitment to meeting clients where they work and delivering solutions that create measurable workflow impact. As AI adoption accelerated across the financial services industry, clients needed reliable, governed access to trusted data within their AI environments. MCP represented a natural step in that direction, extending FactSet’s data capabilities into the agentic and enterprise AI ecosystems clients are actively building.

Measurables

Since its launch in December 2025, FactSet MCP has enjoyed appreciable early traction: the platform already has over 150 active accounts with more than 1,100 active users, alongside 430+ accounts currently in trial, representing several thousand additional users. These figures are particularly noteworthy, given the product’s relatively recent launch.

Future objectives

Launched initially with nine datasets, FactSet MCP now offers more than 20, spanning structured and unstructured content, including fundamentals, consensus estimates, global prices, ownership, people, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), funds and exchange-traded funds, private equity and venture capital, transcripts, filings, supply chain, geographic revenue exposure and the Revere Business Industry Classification System. The road map is aggressive, with continued dataset expansion planned across all coverage areas. Additional capabilities exclusive to FactSet Workstation users further extend the platform’s reach.

Why FactSet won

FactSet’s win in this category maintains the firm’s impressive record of successes in these and other WatersTechnology awards over the past 15 years, and comes on the back of its MCP server, which makes FactSet’s wealth of financial data directly available to users via third-party AI tools through a secure, authorized connection. Unveiled in December 2025, FactSet MCP addresses one of the key obstacles standing in the way of wider GenAI adoption across the industry: delivering AI systems with reliable access to high-quality, governed data without compromising consistency or compatibility. In doing so, the initiative allows firms to incorporate AI into their research, reporting and decision-making functions while maintaining the controls expected of mission-critical financial data.

According to FactSet, the early adoption figures are impressive, given the platform’s nascence. It already has more than 150 active accounts and over 1,100 active users, with a further 430+ accounts (representing several thousand additional users) trialing the platform. FactSet MCP has also expanded rapidly from its initial nine datasets to now include in excess of 20, spanning structured and unstructured content including fundamentals, estimates, prices, ownership, M&A, transcripts, filings and supply-chain data.

The breadth of the MCP road map adds further impetus to the fledgling initiative. FactSet plans to continue expanding dataset coverage while developing additional capabilities for its Workstation users. By extending its existing application programming interface infrastructure into agentic and enterprise AI environments, MCP provides a practical bridge between established financial data workflows and the rapidly evolving realm of AI-driven applications.