September saw the launch of Qontigo, as Deutsche Börse's combined its existing index businesses, STOXX and DAX, with risk analytics tool Axioma.

Qontigo has developed the role it sees for index-based strategies in facilitating the transition to sustainable investing.

“ESG and sustainability have moved from a niche consideration to top of mind for asset owners and investors around the world. I am very proud to take part in the development of the Qontigo ESG Proposition: offering index solutions as building blocks of sustainable investing,” said Stephan Flaegel, global head of indices and benchmarks at Qontigo. “We have unrivalled experience in bringing together an eco-system of financial products that provides easy and liquid access to investment concepts, and we can use this experience to build the bridge between the financial industry and the real economy to deliver sustainable economic development.”

The STOXX Europe 600 ESG-X Index is one way Qontigo aims to serve the environmental, social and governance (ESG) ecosystem. Over the last 12 months, the index has been licensed as the benchmark for Kairos Partners' ESG Long-Short fund, the underlying for an exchange-traded fund (ETF) from State Street, and for ESG options traded by a London bank on behalf of Nordic pension funds.

Earlier this year Qontigo launched DAX 50 ESG index, which highlights the top 50 companies on the German stock exchange integrating their ESG performance, market capitalisation and stock turnover, as well as applying a negative screen for companies involved in controversial activities.

Also in Germany, Qontigo won a multi-billion euro deal, over the past year, for sustainable and climate-friendly index solutions with four pension funds that were looking for low-carbon indexes to control their exposure to climate risks.

Qontigo expanded its reach into the US by licensing, along with Eurex, the STOXX USA 500 ESG-X Index as an underlying for listed futures.