MSCI Barra sets up office in Mumbai

MSCI Barra, a leading global provider of benchmark indices and risk management analytical products, has entered India by opening a new sales office in Mumbai.

Henry Fernandez, CEO and president of MSCI Barra, said the decision to open a sales office in India was a direct result of the growing demand for MSCI Barra's range of innovative risk analysis and index products in the region.

"This is a relatively new market for MSCI Barra and we are excited at the prospect of significantly growing our current business there.

"The new office will enable us to provide our clients in India with local support and the best possible service," he said in a release here.

MSCI Barra indices are very popular among global asset management firms. For instance, most foreign institutional investors (FIIs) track the MSCI India index for benchmarking their performance in India, rather than say the BSE's Sensex.

Adam Djanogly, managing director and head of EMEA Coverage at MSCI Barra, added, "We have already seen significant interest in our equity and fixed income Indian Risk Models, as well as the recently launched MSCI Global Investable Market Indices.

"We are particularly pleased to see that demand for our products is coming from several different areas within the Indian investment management community, including asset managers and brokers."

The office will be staffed initially by Navraj Lehl, vice president, who has over seven years of experience supporting MSCI Barra clients.