FactSet to Buy Cusip From S&P for $1.9 Billion in Open-Data Push

(Bloomberg) -- FactSet Research Systems Inc., a financial data supplier, agreed to buy S&P Global Inc.’s Cusip Global Services for $1.9 billion in cash to gain data elements for new financial instruments. 

FactSet said the planned purchase of the securities-identification data firm will help advance its open data strategy in a statement Monday. 

S&P is selling Cusip and other businesses to gain regulatory approval for its $39 billion takeover of IHS Markit Ltd. To ease competition concerns, IHS also agreed to sell its Base Chemicals business to News Corp. for $295 million. 

Cusip is the exclusive provider of CUSIP and CINS identifiers globally, and it acts as the official numbering agency for ISIN identifiers in the U.S.

FactSet will fund the transaction through a combination of cash on hand and committed financing. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter. 

FactSet is a competitor of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.

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