MSCI and UBS partner on private markets data platform

MSCI Inc. and UBS Group AG announced a strategic partnership to expand an AI-powered platform for private markets, pairing MSCI’s data, analytics and modelling capabilities with UBS’s alternatives business and client perspective. The companies said the effort is intended to address fragmented information and limited transparency in private assets, two issues that can make performance comparison, portfolio oversight and fund selection harder than in public markets.

The platform is designed to combine fund discovery, portfolio management, analytics and benchmarking tools in one ecosystem, according to the announcement. MSCI and UBS said automated data processing and independent performance data from MSCI are expected to provide investors with more timely and consistent portfolio insights.

Standardisation push

Private markets, including private equity, private credit and other alternative assets, rely on data that often sits across fund managers, administrators, consultants and investor systems. Unlike listed equities and bonds, private assets typically lack a single public price feed and may have less frequent reporting, creating operational and analytical gaps for investors.

MSCI and UBS said their collaboration will seek to create a more connected and standardised experience across the private markets investment lifecycle. That lifecycle can cover identifying funds, assessing managers, committing capital, monitoring exposures, measuring performance and comparing results against relevant benchmarks.

UBS will contribute perspectives from limited partners, wealth management and asset management, the companies said. Limited partners are investors in private funds, while general partners manage those funds and make investment decisions. The companies said the platform is intended to support an ecosystem linking general partners with institutional investors and private wealth clients.

UBS will also act as an early user of the platform and will work with MSCI to support broader market adoption and standardisation, according to the announcement. UBS described itself in the statement as the world’s largest truly global wealth manager and a leading asset manager.

Executive comments

Henry Fernandez, chairman and chief executive of MSCI, said the index and analytics provider has focused on independence, transparency and innovation for global investors. He said private markets are becoming a more significant part of investor portfolios, increasing demand for the type of insight, discipline and access that investors use in public markets.

Sergio P. Ermotti, group chief executive officer of UBS, said the partnership extends the bank’s long relationship with MSCI and reflects a shared aim to increase transparency in private markets. He said UBS’s Unified Global Alternatives business brings industry insight and an understanding of changing client needs.

The companies said the collaboration will focus on private markets portfolio management tools and decision-making across public and private assets. They did not frame the initiative as a trading venue or a public-market pricing service; rather, the platform is presented as data and workflow infrastructure for investors assessing private-market opportunities and managing existing allocations.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.