Risk Quantum: a new addition to Risk.net

On April 11, Risk.net welcomed a new member to its family of brands – Risk Quantum. This new addition delivers data insights drawn from public disclosures in a stripped-down format so readers can absorb the facts, the context and the commentary with a minimum of fuss.

In physics, a ‘quantum’ is the smallest possible building block of any physical entity. Each Risk Quantum article can be understood as the ‘quantum’ of a regular Risk.net news story, hence the new brand name.

The smallest of stories can pack the mightiest of punches

The inspiration for Risk Quantum came from an awareness that sometimes the smallest of stories can pack the mightiest of punches. Indeed, some of the most impactful Risk.net stories in recent years have been built on tiny bytes of data hidden in plain sight – namely, periodic earnings reports, regulatory filings and ad hoc market surveys. So Risk Quantum will uncover other great stories waiting to be discovered in the hundreds of pages of disclosures that go largely unread by the broader financial media.

The initial universe of institutions that Risk Quantum will track encompasses more than 120 banks, funds, corporates, insurers, clearing houses and regulators. Not every disclosure issued will necessitate the Risk Quantum treatment, but the objective is to take the hard work out of following the risk management activities of these institutions and, over time, point out common trends and behaviours across the sampled universe too.

We use data visualisations to help the data tell its own story

In order to engage our readers, data visualisations are placed at the heart of every article and used to help the data tell its own story – whether it be a surge in value-at-risk measures at Goldman Sachs, a cut in operational risk at Credit Suisse, or the distribution of liquidity coverage ratios among European and US banks. As our datasets grow larger, these visualisations will grow more insightful and useful to our readers.