Fastmarkets
Fastmarkets is a London-based global price reporting agency publishing over 5,500 commodity price assessments across agriculture, forest products, metals and mining, battery raw materials, and carbon markets for more than 14,000 enterprise customers under IOSCO-compliant methodologies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1880
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Fastmarkets does
Fastmarkets is a global cross-commodity price reporting agency (PRA) headquartered in London, providing price assessments, news, forecasting, and market intelligence across agriculture, forest products, metals and mining, battery raw materials, and carbon markets. The company publishes more than 5,500 prices supported by 200+ reporters and analysts and a 130+ year pricing heritage that consolidates legacy brands including Metal Bulletin, American Metal Market, RISI, FOEX, The Jacobsen, Agricensus, Palm Oil Analytics, and Random Lengths. It serves over 14,000 global customers across producer, trader, consumer, exchange, and financial institution segments.
The commercial architecture is a platform-plus-products model: the Fastmarkets Platform (web dashboard, Excel add-in, iOS/Android apps, and a public API covering over 4,000 assessments) sits as the access layer, while core offerings include Price Data, News and Market Analysis, Forecasting and Analysis, Risk Management tools, Exchange Data Solutions, Consulting, and a portfolio of industry events anchored by the Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials Conference. Methodology is formalized through IOSCO-compliant price assessment processes and an independent benchmark administration entity, Fastmarkets Benchmark Administration Oy (FBA), incorporated in December 2020 in Helsinki, Finland, and supervised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority under the European Benchmarks Regulation (BMR). Pricing data is stored and processed in the proprietary MInD (Market Information Database) system, and Fastmarkets signs Data Submitter Agreements with market participants to maximize data inputs.
Revenue is generated primarily through enterprise subscriptions and data licensing (subscription, licensing, and royalty streams), supplemented by professional services (consulting and events). The company is mid-transition from a user-license model to an enterprise-license model that bundles API and third-party software integration, contract and financial trading use rights, and multi-year contracts. The business is privately held, with the group controlled by Lithium Hangar Holdco Limited, has more than 700 employees across the UK, US, China, Singapore, Brazil, Belgium, and Finland, and is actively building new exchange licensing relationships (CME Group, NOREXECO) and a digital spot platform for the physical lithium market.
Fastmarkets firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fastmarkets
- Legal name
- Fastmarkets Global Limited
- Website
- https://fastmarkets.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1880
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Fastmarkets is a London-based global price reporting agency publishing over 5,500 commodity price assessments across agriculture, forest products, metals and mining, battery raw materials, and carbon markets for more than 14,000 enterprise customers under IOSCO-compliant methodologies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fastmarkets industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commodity Price Reporting & Market Data
- NAICS
- Commodity Contracts Intermediation (523160), Commodity Contracts Intermediation (52316)
- SIC
- Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commodity Market Data, Pricing & Benchmark Administrators (Commodity Indices/Assessments) (FSAFAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Real-Time Market Data Feeds & Terminals (FSAFAIAA), Delayed/End-of-Day Market Data & Reference Data Services (FSAFAIAB), Carbon Market Data, Indices, Ratings & Price Reporting (MRPAs) (EUAGAIAH)
Keywords
Where Fastmarkets is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Fastmarkets business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Price Data Subscriptions: Fastmarkets provides access to over 5,500 prices in agriculture, forest products, metals and mining and new generation energy through subscription-based access to their price data platform. They are transitioning from a user license model to an enterprise license model.
- Data Licensing: Data licenses authorize the supply of Fastmarkets price data for internal company use, ensuring compliance with terms and conditions. Named users on data licenses can utilize prices for sales and trading, mid and back office operations, and functions interacting with price data directly or via formulas. The licensing covers distribution, trading (physical and financial contracts), transactions (valuations, pricing activities), and derived data (indices, forward curves, exchange traded products).
- News and Market Analysis: Access to expertise of more than 200 reporters and analysts covering markets globally, providing news and market analysis as part of the product suite.
- Forecasting and Analysis: Ultra-short-, short-, mid- and long-term price, supply and demand forecasts for commodity markets, providing risk management and future trend prediction capabilities.
- Exchange Data Solutions: Partnership with exchanges such as CME Group for futures contracts settled on Fastmarkets price assessments, providing licensing revenue for benchmark usage.
- Events: Revenue from hosting industry conferences and events including the Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials Conference, Iron Ore & Green Steel Summit, and regional forest products and agriculture events.
- Consulting: Custom consulting services for market analysis and risk management support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise License Model |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Fastmarkets product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fastmarkets is a cross-commodity price reporting agency (PRA) that produces more than 5,500 commodity price assessments across agriculture, forest products, metals and mining, battery raw materials, and carbon markets, complemented by news and market analysis from 200+ reporters, ultra-short- to long-term price/supply/demand forecasts, risk management tools, and exchange data solutions. These are delivered through the proprietary Fastmarkets Platform (web dashboard, Excel add-in, mobile apps) and public API, with independent benchmark administration operated by Fastmarkets Benchmark Administration Oy (FBA) under EU BMR supervision.
Product overview
Fastmarkets is a leading cross-commodity price reporting agency (PRA) providing price data, news, forecasting, and market intelligence across agriculture, forest products, metals and mining, battery raw materials, and carbon markets. The offering is organized as a platform-plus-products architecture: the Fastmarkets Platform (web dashboard, Excel add-in, mobile apps, and API) serves as the central access layer for all data products, while the core commercial offerings include Price Data (5,500+ commodity price assessments), News and Market Analysis (200+ reporters), Forecasting and Analysis, Risk Management tools, Exchange Data Solutions, Consulting, and Events (conferences including the Global Lithium Conference). Fastmarkets aggregates multiple legacy brands (Metal Bulletin, American Metal Market, RISI, FOEX, The Jacobsen, Agricensus, Palm Oil Analytics, Random Lengths, Hardwood Market Report) and operates its benchmark administration through Fastmarkets Benchmark Administration Oy (FBA) under EU Benchmarks Regulation supervision. The company serves over 14,000 global customers across industries including automotive, aerospace, steel, pulp and paper, energy, and chemicals, and has recently launched new digital platforms (e.g., lithium spot market platform) and price assessments in emerging markets such as heavy rare earths, HVO feedstocks, battery materials, and carbon certificates.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Metal Bulletin: Part of Fastmarkets, covering metals and mining price reporting
- American Metal Market
- RISI
- RANDOM LENGTHS
- Agricensus
- Palm Oil Analytics
- FOEX
- The Jacobsen
Products and services
- Price Data Access to over 5,500 commodity price assessments across agriculture, forest products, metals and mining, battery raw materials, and carbon markets, published daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly per commodity schedule; serves commodity producers, traders, consumers, exchanges, and financial institutions.
- News and Market Analysis Expert commentary and market intelligence from more than 200 reporters and analysts covering global commodity markets, providing insights, news, and analysis to support trading and risk management decisions for enterprise commodity participants.
- Forecasting and Analysis
- Risk Management Tools and market intelligence designed to mitigate exposure to commodity price risk, including forward curves, scenario analysis, and benchmark-driven contract references.
- Exchange Data Solutions Integration of Fastmarkets price benchmarks into commodity exchange-traded and OTC derivative products, enabling settlement references and price discovery for futures, forwards, options, ETFs, and other exchange-listed instruments.
- Consulting Custom advisory and consulting services for commodity market participants seeking bespoke analysis, market studies, and expert support for strategic and operational decisions.
- Fastmarkets Platform Proprietary digital platform providing centralized access to all Fastmarkets price data, analytics, and market intelligence, available via web dashboard, Excel add-in, and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
- Fastmarkets API Programmatic access to Fastmarkets price data for enterprise customers, enabling integration into proprietary systems, trading platforms, and derived data products such as indices, forward curves, and exchange-traded instruments. Delivered under an enterprise license model.
- Events Portfolio of industry conferences and webinars across commodity markets including the flagship Global Lithium, Battery and Critical Materials Conference, International Iron Ore & Green Steel Summit, Forest Products events, and Feedstocks & Biofuels conferences.
- Fastmarkets Benchmark Administration (FBA) Independent benchmark administration entity (Fastmarkets Benchmark Administration Oy) operating as the administrator of Fastmarkets benchmarks subject to the European Benchmarks Regulation (BMR), headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, and supervised by FIN-FSA.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 14,000 global customers rely on Fastmarkets pricing data
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fastmarkets
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Fastmarkets technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
Fastmarkets partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Hyundai EngineeringminorIoneer signed a letter of intent with Hyundai Engineering and a South Korean government entity to support its Nevada lithium project. This demonstrates partnerships in the lithium supply chain that Fastmarkets' pricing and market intelligence helps facilitate through transparent benchmark pricing.
- PLS Group LtdcorePLS Group Ltd, a major lithium producer, joined Fastmarkets' industry advisory group to actively contribute to the development of a new digital spot platform for the physical lithium market. PLS committed to supporting the platform's development as part of efforts to address transparency and liquidity gaps in lithium trading. The advisory group includes key stakeholders across the lithium supply chain.
- Liontown LtdcoreLiontown Ltd, an Australian lithium producer, joined Fastmarkets' industry advisory group for the digital spot platform for physical lithium trading. The company expressed support for the initiative as a means to address transparency and liquidity gaps in lithium markets. Liontown's participation reflects industry support for more structured market infrastructure aligned with the global energy transition.
- Sichuan Yahua Lithium GroupcoreSichuan Yahua Lithium Group, a major Chinese lithium producer, committed to supporting Fastmarkets digital spot platform development through the industry advisory group. The CEO expressed support for the initiative citing the need for better market infrastructure to support the global energy transition. The platform aims to provide standardized bilateral trading conditions and better connectivity between producers, consumers and traders.
- CME GroupcoreFastmarkets will publish a one-time differential adjustment on August 28, 2026, to facilitate market transition when its methodology for lithium hydroxide assessments changes. This differential will be used by commodity exchanges (CME Group) and other contracts settling against the cif China, Japan & Korea price to adjust derivatives during the methodology transition period.
- DaikinminorShin-Etsu Chemical formed a partnership with Daikin, the world's largest air conditioner manufacturer, to recover and recycle rare earth magnets from compressors starting in 2027. While this is a Shin-Etsu partnership, it demonstrates the rare earth supply chain collaboration ecosystem that Fastmarkets prices help facilitate.
- CME GroupcoreCME Group launched new daily price assessment for used cooking oil (UCO) FOB Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Ghent (ARAG) based on Fastmarkets specifications. The partnership involves CME using Fastmarkets price assessments as underlying references for exchange-traded derivatives, enhancing price discovery and risk management capabilities for market participants.
- ExpanacoreFastmarkets and Expana formed a strategic partnership to strengthen forest products market intelligence. The collaboration integrates Fastmarkets' IOSCO-compliant price benchmarks covering pallets, wood, recovered paper, and packaging into Expana's platform. This combines Fastmarkets' upstream pricing data with Expana's downstream analytics to support faster, more confident decision-making in volatile forest products markets. Both companies emphasized the partnership aims to improve market transparency and deliver decision-critical intelligence to customers across the value chain.
- CME GroupcoreCME Group announced plans to launch four South Asia edible oil futures contracts based on Fastmarkets Soyoil CFR India and Crude Palm Oil CFR West Coast India assessments. The contracts include two outright and two spread products designed to serve South Asian market participants managing soybean and palm oil price risk. ICAP will support by encouraging trading and growing liquidity.
- NOREXECOcoreFastmarkets and NOREXECO launched two industry-first spot futures contracts for Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft (NBSK) and Bleached Eucalyptus Kraft (BEK) pulp markets in Europe. The new contracts settle on spot indices reflecting net price levels, providing market participants with more accurate risk management tools. This expands Fastmarkets' global coverage of net prices for pulp following existing assessments for North America and China.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fastmarkets competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts): The largest global price reporting agency and Fastmarkets' most direct competitor. Platts covers oil, gas, petrochemicals, metals, agriculture, and other commodities with IOSCO-compliant benchmarks used widely in exchange-traded derivatives — directly overlapping with Fastmarkets' core PRA offering.
- Argus Media: Privately held global PRA covering energy, fertilizers, and key commodities including biomass/biofuels, hydrogen, and LPG. Argus directly competes with Fastmarkets in agriculture (fertilizers, grains, oils), forest products, and battery raw materials.
- ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services): Part of RELX, ICIS provides commodity intelligence across petrochemicals, fertilizers, and energy markets. ICIS overlaps with Fastmarkets in agriculture and chemicals price reporting and competes for benchmark mandates in adjacent verticals.
- CRU Group: London-based commodity research and price reporting firm covering metals, mining, fertilizers, and battery materials. CRU directly competes with Fastmarkets in metals/mining intelligence and critical minerals pricing.
Broad incumbents
- Wood Mackenzie: Verisk-owned provider of commercial intelligence for energy, metals, and renewables. Overlaps with Fastmarkets on commodity research, forecasts, and consulting services, particularly in energy transition and battery supply chains.
- Bloomberg Commodities: Bloomberg's commodities data, news, and analytics offering competes with Fastmarkets for enterprise subscriptions and is broadly used by financial market participants that overlap with Fastmarkets' exchange and trading customers.
- LSEG (Refinitiv) Commodity Data: London Stock Exchange Group's commodity data and analytics offering (formerly Refinitiv) provides benchmark prices, forecasts, and news across energy and metals. Competes with Fastmarkets for enterprise data licenses and exchange benchmark mandates.
Emerging players
- Rystad Energy: Independent energy research and commodity intelligence provider covering oil & gas, renewables, and metals. Rystad increasingly competes with Fastmarkets on energy transition and battery raw materials research.
Others
- CME Group: Major derivatives exchange and key customer/partner of Fastmarkets. CME launches futures contracts settled on Fastmarkets assessments (cobalt, edible oils, UCO) — making it both a strategic licensing partner and a customer that could internalize pricing in the long term.
- ICE (Intercontinental Exchange): Global exchange operator that could license Fastmarkets benchmarks for derivatives, or compete via its own pricing data products (e.g., ICE Futures, ICE Endex). Relevant ecosystem participant rather than direct PRA competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat8 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fastmarkets social profiles
Digital presenceFastmarkets financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fastmarkets leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Fastmarkets subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Fastmarkets funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fastmarkets M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fastmarkets
What does Fastmarkets do?
Fastmarkets is a cross-commodity price reporting agency (PRA) that produces more than 5,500 commodity price assessments across agriculture, forest products, metals and mining, battery raw materials, and carbon markets, complemented by news and market analysis from 200+ reporters, ultra-short- to long-term price/supply/demand forecasts, risk management tools, and exchange data solutions. These are delivered through the proprietary Fastmarkets Platform (web dashboard, Excel add-in, mobile apps) and public API, with independent benchmark administration operated by Fastmarkets Benchmark Administration Oy (FBA) under EU BMR supervision.
Is Fastmarkets a public or private company?
Fastmarkets is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Fastmarkets founded?
Fastmarkets was founded in 1880. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Fastmarkets based?
Fastmarkets is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Fastmarkets make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Price Data Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are data Licensing, news and Market Analysis, forecasting and Analysis, exchange Data Solutions, events and consulting.
Who are Fastmarkets's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts), Argus Media, ICIS (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services) and CRU Group. Broad incumbents are Wood Mackenzie, Bloomberg Commodities and LSEG (Refinitiv) Commodity Data. Rystad Energy is listed as an emerging player. Others are CME Group and ICE (Intercontinental Exchange).
Does Fastmarkets have an API?
Yes. Fastmarkets offers a public API enabling programmatic access to over 4,000 commodity price assessments across agriculture, forest products, metals and mining, and new generation energy markets. The API is accessible under the enterprise license model, with supported API and third-party software integration capabilities. Named users on a data license are authorized to share data with other licensed colleagues within the company, trade physical and financial contracts, and run valuations on inventory. Data may be used directly or in derived data products including indices, forward curves, spread bets, swaps, swaptions, exchange-traded products (futures, forwards, options, ETFs, ETCs, ETNs), and contracts for difference (CFDs). Developer documentation is at www.fastmarkets.com/platform/api.
What industry is Fastmarkets in?
Fastmarkets's product category is Commodity Price Reporting & Market Data. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAFAMAJ, Commodity Market Data, Pricing & Benchmark Administrators (Commodity Indices/Assessments), with a secondary code of FSAFAIAA, Real-Time Market Data Feeds & Terminals. Its NAICS code is 523160 and its SIC code is 6221.