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Under the Alliance, the parties will focus on business development opportunities combining the core skills of Aspect and ASX. It is also designed to enable the parties to grow their respective businesses with a more diversified customer and product base. The parties will achieve this through improved processes and technology that provide flexible and targeted information solutions to customers.
The immediate priority for the parties is to integrate ASX's FinData® product range with Aspect's suite of financial data products and services. Aspect will supply the data for the FinData range from its well-established database of financial data and company information. This effectively extends the relationship beyond the previously announced initiative concerning the co-marketing and distribution of the Signal G Digest, a text based company announcement service.
At present, the large amount of data ASX generates for the FinData products is provided as raw data files that are machine-readable and require customers to develop applications to process and integrate the data into their systems. The Alliance will enable ASX to augment this existing service and offer customers access to a range of Aspect products and a number of alternative delivery formats or platforms, including internet delivery and fully hosted web solutions. These delivery mechanisms can operate on a stand-alone basis or be integrated into a client's existing services.
Commenting on the Strategic Alliance, Aspect Financial Managing Director Andrew Bird said, "The Alliance with ASX makes a lot of sense. The key to providing quality financial information and solutions is to have sufficient scale to invest in the substantial resources required and the focus to provide innovative and responsive solutions that meet client need. We believe the Alliance will enable us to achieve these goals."
ASX's Executive General Manager Market Services, Michael Roche said, "This Alliance with Aspect is consistent with ASX's strategy of partnering with acknowledged industry leaders to promote efficiency and generate growth. ASX looks forward to working closely with Aspect to develop business opportunities and provide integrated financial information solutions to customers. Of course, customers can rest assured that there will be no interruption to their ASX supplied services. Over the medium term, we are confident of being able to deliver better quality, more tailored and functionally richer services designed to enhance their business."
ASX FinData® is a suite of products that provide fundamental financial data in relation to all ASX listed companies, including data from all quarterly, interim, preliminary and annual financial statements. Key customers of this service include brokers, information resellers and financial websites.
Aspect Financial is a leading provider of information services, analysis and research on Australian listed companies. Key customers include brokers, fund managers and financial websites. Aspect's flagship products include DatAnalysis, FinAnalysis and the Equity Review. Aspect also provides a fully managed and hosted web platform which enables it to manage content on behalf of customers and seamlessly integrate it into customer websites.
