‘MiFID II ready’: ING plumps for $0 price tag for economic research
Dutch bank ING has found a way to skirt the debate about how much to charge for financial research: Give it away for free.
The bank today launched a new hub for economic analysis with a new site called Think. Other banks are considering similar steps.
Mark Cliffe, global chief economist at ING said (with our highlights):
We’re opening up to a broader audience, on a wide range of topics, in a clear and easy style.
Although the initial impetus came from customer feedback, Think is also part of our plan to be “MiFID II ready”. While the industry and regulators are still debating the precise details of the access and payment requirements for European asset managers, it is clear that analysis outside the domain of investment research can be distributed freely. With the shake-up in the research market, we believe Think will help us to grow our audience beyond ING’s existing client base.