The discussions are at an early stage and may not result in a transaction, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg. One option under consideration is to list the business separately, with Capital IQ Pro potentially fetching a valuation in the high single-digit billions of dollars, the people said.
Investors appeared to welcome the possibility of a separation. S&P Global shares, which had been lower earlier in the session, rose as much as 6.3% from the day’s low.
Known as CapIQ, Capital IQ Pro is part of S&P Global’s Market Intelligence division and is the successor to the company’s legacy Capital IQ platform. The software is used by finance professionals to conduct research and provides access to data on more than 60 million private companies, according to S&P Global’s website.
A spinout would give CapIQ its own corporate identity at a time when financial data providers are facing a significant shift in how information is collected, distributed and used. The rise of artificial intelligence is also increasing demand for large pools of structured and proprietary data that can support financial models and research tools.
As a standalone company, CapIQ would compete more directly with established financial information providers including FactSet Research Systems, which has a market value of more than $11 billion, and the data arm of London Stock Exchange Group.
The potential separation also fits with Chief Executive Officer Martina Cheung’s broader efforts to reshape S&P Global. Cheung has led the company since 2024, during a period in which S&P has reorganized parts of its portfolio and sharpened its focus on core businesses.In July, S&P Global spun off its automotive intelligence unit into Mobility Global. Cheung said the move gave S&P “sharper focus” on its core divisions.
A CapIQ spinout could extend that strategy, allowing S&P Global to concentrate more tightly on its remaining businesses while giving the data platform greater independence and potentially a separate market valuation.
Still, the discussions remain preliminary, Bloomberg reported, and S&P Global could ultimately decide against pursuing a separation. That would leave Capital IQ Pro within the broader company rather than as a separately traded business.
(Disclaimer: This article is based on inputs from agencies. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)
