MSCI Inc has broadened its range of fixed income tools and solutions for institutional investors with the launch of the MSCI Fixed Income ESG Indexes and the MSCI Fixed Income Factor Indexes.

Independent financial services firm Stephens Inc has added managing director Ralph Mastrangelo to its institutional sales team, signifying the firm’s expansion strategy for global equity sales. 

Skylight IPV Limited, an independent price verification company, has closed a funding round, securing significant investment from ETFS Capital.

BNP Paribas Securities Services has extended its license for Temenos Multifonds Global Accounting and Temenos Multifonds Global Investor. 

Fulcrum Asset Management (Fulcrum) has launched the Fulcrum Risk Premia Fund (UCITS) with USD70 million of initial capital with a further USD1.1 billion in the strategy across a Cayman fund and separately managed accounts. 

Andy Cheung has resigned as the COO of cryptocurrency exchange OKEx to launch a new blockchain consultancy institute, BitWork. 

SimCorp, a provider of investment management solutions and services to the global financial services industry, has signed a license agreement with Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS), to form the foundation for its middle and back office investment operations. 

Sun Hao has joined PGIM, the global investment management business of Prudential Financial, as head of its Institutional Relationship Group for China. 

Blox.io, a for cryptocurrency management, accounting, and cost basis platform, has launched integration with the æternity protocol, a scalable smart contract platform that enables interaction with real-world data. 

The aggregate funded ratio for US corporate pension plans increased by 1.6 percentage points in December to end the month at 88.2 per cent, a 0.7 percentage points increase from December 2018, according to Wilshire Consulting.