Demystifying Indices
The Index Standard® provides actionable insights that empower financial professionals to optimize their choices regarding indices and index-linked products. Whether you're focused on annuities, structured products or ETFs, our unbiased perspective and data-driven assessments can help you navigate today’s complex index landscape and achieve success for you and your clients.
Built to make your life easier, our solutions allow for direct comparisons of indices and annuities. Not only do they help with identifying and allocating to the right indices, but they also streamline your marketing, due diligence and compliance processes.
We are invested in your success and act as your partner by providing high-touch onboarding and support. Our goal is to offer clarity through relevant data points that enable you to make informed decisions leading to superior outcomes.
The Index Standard® uses plain, everyday language. Understanding indices should be intuitive, not require a dictionary or a PhD. We call this "approachable finance".
Meet The Founder
Laurence Black is the founder of The Index Standard® and an index advisor to Robert J. Shiller, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Economics at Yale University.
Before founding The Index Standard®, Laurence was Managing Director and Head of Quantitative Indices and Strategies at Barclays where he oversaw the development of the Barclays index family. In addition to designing some of the first smart beta/factor indices, Laurence spearheaded Barclays' index partnerships with Professors Robert Shiller and Nouriel Roubini, as well as Novus Partners.
Before Barclays, Laurence was Head of Indices at ABN AMRO in London, where he successfully launched indices with well-known investors such as Jim Rogers and Joel Greenblatt. Before ABN AMRO, Laurence worked at Lehman Brothers, Deutsche Bank, and Credit Suisse.
Laurence holds an MBA from the University of Warwick and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Cape Town. When not thinking about financial matters, he can mostly be found on a tennis court.
Advisory Board and Senior Management
Alex Matturri
Advisory Board Member
Alex is the retired CEO of S&P Dow Jones Indices and currently a Board Director of CBOE Global Markets. During his tenure at S&P DJI, Alex spearheaded business growth in Asia, Middle East and Latin America while expanding core markets in the US and Europe. Before S&P DJI, Alex had held senior positions at Northern Trust Global Investments, Deutsche Asset Management and The Bank of New York. A Chartered Financial Analyst, Alex holds a BS degree in finance from Lehigh University and a JD from Syracuse University.
Johnny Wu
Advisory Board Member
Johnny is the CEO of xETFs and Quartzy Capital Advisors. He had spent most of his career in investment banking prior to founding both companies, most recently being the Head of Cross Asset Solutions at Barclays. He currently serves on the boards of Optimal Asset Management ($2bn+ direct indexing firm) and the Association of Asian American Investment Managers. Johnny holds a BA degree in economics and mathematics, and an MBA degree in finance from Columbia University.
Evan A. Schnidman
Advisory Board Member
Evan is currently the Head of Fidelity Labs. Prior to Fidelity, he was the co-founder and CEO of Outrigger Group, a fractional executive consulting firm serving high growth companies across fintech, data and AI. Evan previously ran an independent consulting firm, EAS Innovation, and co-founded multiple fintech companies, including MarketReader and Prattle (acquired by Liquidnet). Evan earned his PhD from Harvard University and served as faculty at Brown University earlier in his career.
Jay Watson
Head of Analytics
Jay has over 20 years of experience in investment banking. Prior to The Index Standard, he was Managing Director and Head of Multi-asset Index Structuring EMEA at Barclays in London, where he chaired the bank’s index development oversight group responsible for ensuring new indices were well engineered and fit for purpose. Jay holds an MA degree and a DPhil in theoretical physics from Oxford University, and a Master's degree in mathematics from Cambridge University.
Branislav Nikolic
Head of Insurance
Branislav spent a decade at Cannex Financial Exchanges, where as VP of Research he was instrumental in extending Cannex’s strong presence in the retirement income space. Branislav holds a Master’s degree in probability and financial engineering and a PhD in applied mathematics from York University, Toronto. He also holds the designation of Financial Risk Manager. He is currently a board member of National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA) and a research fellow of Alliance for Lifetime Income (ALI).
Cynthia Ma
Chief Operating Officer
Cynthia had a long career in corporate communications across Hong Kong, London and New York. She worked for Deutsche Bank then Nomura, where as Head of Internal Communications she oversaw the staff integration of Lehman Brothers EMEA. Cynthia later managed investor relations in North America for InterOil, where during the firm’s acquisition by ExxonMobil her team’s investor program was named Best Crisis Management and Best Energy Campaign. Cynthia holds an MBA degree from University of Warwick, UK.
In The News
Black: Don't Rely on Back Tests, Look Forward
06 February 2026
Our analytics debunk the myths of custom indices.
Bitcoin Indices Are Here!
03 February 2026
What's the verdict on the new kid on the block?
New Custom Indices Paper with BlackRock
06 October 2025
Custom indices can be great in a portfolio but how to choose the right ones?
Why Structured Products Are in Vogue Again
15 September 2025
Laurence Black shares his thoughts with Bloomberg