Mercer Trends: Deeper Data, Broader Insight

Over the past 25 years, Mercer and Nasdaq eVestment have each worked to develop their own databases to support due-diligence and better outcomes for institutional investors. One result has been complex workflows for asset owners having to consult multiple data sources. Another result has been a complicated process for managers having to report data to both Mercer and Nasdaq eVestment. Mercer has decided to exit its data collection service, and so by end of 2022 this alliance will solve these issues for the institutional investing community.

The alliance combines each firm’s value propositions: Mercer on providing advisory and discretionary services as well and forward-looking research; Nasdaq eVestment on collecting, managing and structuring industry-leading data and technology.

No, Nasdaq eVestment and Mercer are not merging, and there has been no acquisition. Rather, Nasdaq eVestment and Mercer are forming an alliance.

The alliance will deliver significant enhancements to MercerInsight platform clients, including improved data coverage, enhanced screening, sharing, analytical functionality, and reporting capabilities across traditional, hedge fund and private markets through the new platform, MercerInsight – a digital alliance with Nasdaq eVestment. The new platform will be introduced later in 2021, with phased releases, culminating in a full replacement of the legacy MercerInsight platform, which is expected to occur in 2022.

During the implementation phases of the alliance, the Nasdaq eVestment platform and Input Portal will be expanded to include new data fields. This expanded data coverage will be available to all Nasdaq eVestment clients. Nasdaq eVestment clients that also subscribe to Mercer research will be able to consume the Mercer universes, ratings and research through Nasdaq eVestment. In addition, Nasdaq eVestment manager clients will be able to subscribe to certain Mercer content directly through Nasdaq eVestment.

We will work closely with you as we transition to the new platform, MercerInsight – a digital alliance with Nasdaq eVestment, taking into consideration your individual needs and the features and data you use today. You’ll receive individual communications with more detailed information. In the meantime, you’ll continue to log in to the existing MercerInsight platform and use it as you always have.

Effective immediately, you will be able to access the current content you receive from Mercer (asset manager research and ratings) through both the MercerInsight platform and (upon your request to Mercer) the Nasdaq eVestment platform(s). If you elect to consume this Mercer content in Nasdaq eVestment, you will also receive the Nasdaq eVestment datasets that correspond to such Mercer content. Throughout the alliance implementation, Nasdaq eVestment data will be expanded to include new data points and coverage of new products and managers, and you will receive that data through eVestment as well.

Please contact your MercerInsight regional helpdesks to request access to Mercer content in Nasdaq eVestment; please note that Nasdaq eVestment does not know what you receive through your subscription to Mercer and cannot handle any access enablement without Mercer’s express instruction to Nasdaq eVestment. Similarly, Mercer is not aware of what you receive through your subscription to Nasdaq eVestment.

You will continue to have access to your current level of content (Mercer peer groups (universes), asset flows and trends data, as applicable). In addition, Mercer is pleased to offer asset managers the opportunity to access a wealth of new Mercer modules, including Mercer ESG Ratings, Mercer Actual Fees, Research Downloads, ORA Distribution Summary and Ratings Distribution Summary. Mercer will be contacting each of its asset manager clients individually with more detailed information.

From the fourth quarter of 2021, existing manager subscribers to both MercerInsight and Nasdaq eVestment will be offered streamlined access to the new Mercer modules alongside Nasdaq eVestment’s data and analytics.

Mercer is retiring GIMD, the technology used by asset managers to submit data and information to Mercer about their business and investment strategies, but it will continue to operate until late 2022. It is therefore important to continue to update GIMD, as Mercer users and Mercer subscribers will continue to use MercerInsight until the migration is complete.

Mercer’s internal users, and subscribers to MercerInsight, will continue to use the data submitted by asset managers to GIMD until late 2022, so it is important managers continue to update GIMD until advised otherwise. Asset managers will be contacted about the transition process.

Commencing later in 2021, you will be able to access your current Mercer content through Nasdaq eVestment and subscribe to new Mercer content offerings, all through the Nasdaq eVestment platform, consolidating data and intelligence with robust analytics in a single platform.

You will continue to access Mercer content directly from Mercer and have opportunities to subscribe to new Mercer offerings moving forward.

No! Once development work is complete, managers need report only to Nasdaq eVestment. You will receive more information about the data fields, timelines and migration process later this year. In the meantime, please continue to populate GIMD as you always have.

Until the transition, you will continue to populate both systems. After the transition is complete (anticipated for late 2022), you will populate Nasdaq eVestment only.

Populating both GIMD and Nasdaq eVestment until the transition ensures that your strategies are in front of Mercer’s internal users and MercerInsight subscribers, as well as Nasdaq eVestment’s consultant and asset owner users. Until the transition is complete (anticipated for late 2022), MercerInsight subscribers will only see the data submitted to GIMD and Nasdaq eVestment subscribers will only see the data submitted to Nasdaq eVestment input.

Yes – there will be no change to Mercer’s manager research process.

Until GIMD is retired (anticipated for late 2022), Nasdaq eVestment Omni will continue to populate GIMD. Your Omni relationship manager will consult with you on your database marketing strategy in light of GIMD’s retirement toward the end of 2022.

Until GIMD is retired, investment managers should continue to contact the GIMD support channels for GIMD-related questions, and the Nasdaq eVestment support channels for Nasdaq eVestment-related questions. Once the transition is complete, Nasdaq eVestment will support reporting managers.

The strategies of managers that do not report to Nasdaq eVestment following the transition in late 2022 will not be visible to Mercer’s internal users and subscribers of MercerInsight – a digital alliance with Nasdaq eVestment.