Thomson Reuters acquires Swiss firm ASSET4

Thomson Reuters today said it has acquired Switzerland-based ASSET4, provider of environmental, social responsibility and governance data for an undisclosed amount.

"Thomson Reuters acquisition of ASSET4's business is timely as our clients are looking for deeper insight into the combination of financial and extra-financial factors that drive the performance and risk of their investments," Thomson Reuters Global Head of Strategy and Marketing (Investment and Advisory) Abel Clark said.

Through this acquisition, Thomson Reuters will offer comprehensive database of environmental, social responsibility and governance information along with a range of analysis tools enabling clients to integrate it into their everyday decision making, the financial news and data provider said in a statement.

 

Commenting on the acquisition ASSET4 CEO and President Peter Ohnemus said: "Thomson Reuters is the natural choice to take the extra-financial information and tools that ASSET4 has built over the last five years to a truly global and mainstream client base."

The terms of the agreement as well as the financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Amid global credit crisis, climate change, new regulation and other issues, there is a need for financial firms to assess the environmental, social responsibility, governance risks attached to the firms in which they invest.