ICIS

What ICIS does

ICIS is a London-headquartered global commodity intelligence firm operating as a private subsidiary of LexisNexis Risk Solutions within RELX Group (FTSE-15). It supplies independent pricing benchmarks, supply-and-demand data, news, and analytics across chemicals, energy, and fertilizers markets, covering more than 180 commodities, 100+ downstream products, 125+ million data points, and 160 countries. Editorial operations span four global hubs (London, Houston, Singapore, Istanbul) with 100+ energy specialists, supported by regional sales offices in Seoul and Tokyo and localized Korean and Japanese websites.

The product portfolio centers on the ICIS Clarity subscriber platform, augmented by ICIS Foresight (18-month price forecasts with margin analytics), ICIS Insight (current pricing and supply-demand), ICIS Hindsight (historical archives from 1978 onward), the Supply & Demand Database, the proprietary ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX), Recycling Supply Trackers, Live Supply Disruption Tracker, and Ask ICIS expert inquiry services. Distribution integrates enterprise field sales, a 14-day self-serve trial (ICIS Try), API/SFTP/Snowflake Data-as-a-Service feeds, and a calendar of industry conferences (World Polyolefins, World Base Oils, World Chlor-Alkali) and training programs, all backed by IOSCO-compliant methodology that has passed independent audit annually for 13 consecutive years.

ICIS generates revenue primarily through annual recurring enterprise subscriptions to ICIS Clarity and Foresight tiers, supplemented by Data-as-a-Service licensing, conferences, training courses (including a collaborative program with Plan Grow Do), rankings publications (Top 100 Chemical Distributors, Top 40 Power Players, Innovation Awards, CEO of the Year), and bespoke consulting. The customer base spans chemicals producers, energy producers, traders and distributors, finance, plastics and rubber converters, recyclers, fertilizers, and research and consulting firms, with named users including BMO Capital Markets, Bangchak Corporation, Sekab, AB Polymers, El Mohandes, and Gritti Energia. Recent strategic activity, including the 2026 AMI Plastics Market Intelligence Dataset acquisition, the January 2026 ICE base oils futures launch, and additions such as Iberian and Italian rPET flake pricing, indicates active product and capability expansion within a stable subscription business model.

Name

ICIS

Legal name

LNRS Data Services Ltd

Website

https://icis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

ICIS is a London-headquartered global commodity intelligence provider, operating as a subsidiary of RELX's LexisNexis Risk Solutions, delivering subscription-based pricing benchmarks, supply-and-demand data, and 18-month forecasts across 180-plus commodities in chemicals, energy, and fertilizers markets to enterprise and mid-market customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services: ICIS operates primarily on a subscription model where customers pay recurring fees for access to pricing data, news, analysis, and platform access through ICIS Clarity. Subscriptions cover chemicals, energy, and fertilizers markets with tiered access levels.
2. Data as a Service (DaaS): Provides data delivery through API, SFTP, Excel plugin, and Snowflake integrations for enterprise customers requiring direct data access and integration into their systems.
3. Training Programs: ICIS offers training courses and collaborative programs with partners like Plan Grow Do for sales training in the petrochemical landscape, generating revenue through professional development services.
4. Conferences and Events: Revenue from hosting industry conferences including World Polyolefins Conference, World Base Oils and Lubricants Conference, and Innovation Awards, providing networking and knowledge-sharing platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ICIS provides independent petrochemical, energy, and commodity market intelligence through subscription-based data products, price benchmarks, supply/demand analytics, and forecasting solutions. Its core deliverables are the ICIS Clarity platform, the Supply & Demand Database, the IPEX price benchmark, ICIS Foresight forecasting, and supporting news and pricing services consumed by producers, traders, refiners, and financial institutions globally.

Product overview

ICIS is a global commodity intelligence company offering a comprehensive platform for chemicals, energy, and fertilizer markets spanning 180+ commodities and 125+ million data points. The portfolio is organized around ICIS Clarity™ as the core subscriber platform, supplemented by specialized analytical tools including ICIS Foresight (18-month price forecasts), ICIS Insight (current pricing), and ICIS Hindsight (historical archives). The Supply & Demand Database covers 160 countries and 100+ products with data from 1978-2030. Supporting tools include Live Supply Disruption Tracker, Price Driver Analytics, Margin Analytics, and Recycling Supply Trackers. The ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) serves as the industry benchmark. Additional offerings include News Service, Pricing & Commentary, Data as a Service, Ask ICIS, ICB Magazine, conferences (World Polyolefins, World Base Oils, World Chlor-Alkali), training courses, and recognition programs (Innovation Awards, CEO of the Year, Top 100 Distributors, Top 40 Power Players). The company operates with a global team of 100+ experts and maintains IOSCO compliance verified through annual independent audits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICIS Clarity: Subscriber platform providing pricing data, analytics, and market insights
• ICIS Chemical Foresight
• ICIS Energy Foresight
• ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX)

Products and services

• ICIS Clarity
• Supply & Demand Database Comprehensive historical and forward-looking database of supply, demand, capacity, production, and trade flows across global petrochemical and energy products, used for market analysis and planning.
• ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) Independent monthly price index for a basket of petrochemicals, recognized as an IOSCO-compliant benchmark used in physical and financial contracts.
• ICIS Foresight Machine learning-enabled forecasting solution providing forward-looking projections of supply, demand, and prices across petrochemical and energy markets.
• ICIS Chemical Foresight Specialized forecasting product delivering chemical-specific supply, demand, and price outlooks over short- and long-term horizons.
• ICIS Energy Foresight Specialized forecasting product delivering energy market outlooks across oil, gas, LNG, and refined products, including supply, demand, and price projections.
• Data as a Service (DaaS) API- and file-based data delivery service that distributes ICIS pricing, supply/demand, and reference data directly into customer enterprise systems and data warehouses.
• ICIS News Service Subscription news service delivering real-time and scheduled market news, analysis, and commentary on global petrochemical and energy markets.
• ICIS Pricing & Commentary Subscription-based pricing reports and editorial commentary covering spot and contract prices across global petrochemical and energy products.
• LNG Edge Platform Specialized intelligence platform for the global LNG market, providing pricing, news, analytics, and tracking of LNG supply, demand, and trade flows.
• Ask ICIS Subscription-based expert inquiry service that connects customers to ICIS analysts for tailored market questions and bespoke research support.
• ICIS Conferences Paid industry conferences and events covering global petrochemical, energy, and commodity market topics, providing networking and content for commercial teams.
• ICIS Training Courses Paid training and education programs covering petrochemical markets, pricing mechanisms, and trading fundamentals for industry professionals.
• ICB Magazine (Independent Commodity Intelligence Services publication) Subscription-based industry publication delivering editorial coverage, analysis, and market commentary on global petrochemical and commodity markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• European data centre power demand forecast to nearly triple from 96TWh in 2024 to 236TWh by 2035
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• AMI (Applied Market Information)coreTechnology or Integration · 2 June 2026ICIS secured exclusive access to AMI's Polymer Demand and Plastics Processors database, enabling deeper downstream analysis of global polymer demand across virgin polymers, recyclates, compounds, masterbatch and additives. The acquisition integrates production, consumption and application-level insight into ICIS's Supply & Demand Database. AMI, established in 1986, brings decades of expertise in global plastics market intelligence.
• ICE (Intercontinental Exchange)coreTechnology or Integration · 13 January 2026ICIS and ICE launched the first exchange-backed futures contracts for base oils, using ICIS pricing benchmarks to enable hedging and price discovery across Europe, Asia, and US. Three regional contracts cover N150 FCA Northwest Europe (EUR/tonne), N150 FOB Asia ($/tonne), and N100/120 FOB US Gulf Export ($/tonne).
• Plan Grow DosupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025ICIS and Plan Grow Do announced an exclusive collaborative training program aimed at enhancing sales operations in the chemical industry, launching at the 30th ICIS World Base Oils and Lubricants Conference in February 2026. The program integrates commodity market data with buyer-focused sales training through workshops, executive briefings, and digital content.
• CPCIF (China Petroleum and Chemical International Federation)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 October 2025ICIS and CPCIF unveiled a study revealing the wide-ranging impacts of EU circularity regulation on global recycled plastics demand. The regulation will significantly increase demand for recycled plastics globally, especially by 2030 and 2040, impacting China's supply chain. The study promotes chemical recycling and encourages China to enhance domestic recycling standards.
• Fecc (European Association of Chemical Distributors)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerFecc is an industry association partner supporting ICIS Top 100 Chemical Distributors ranking, providing industry data and validation for the annual report covering approximately 300 companies.
• ACR (Association of Chemical Reflex)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partner for ICIS Top 100 Chemical Distributors ranking, contributing to the comprehensive coverage of global chemical distribution sector.
• ICTA (International Chemical Trade Association)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerICTA is an industry association partner for ICIS Top 100 Chemical Distributors ranking, providing support and industry context for the annual chemical distribution analysis.
• BDO LLPsupportingOthersIndependent audit firm conducting ICIS's annual IOSCO compliance audit, verifying methodologies, data integrity, governance, and transparency per European benchmarks regulation. The audit has been passed for 13 consecutive years.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts): The largest global Price Reporting Agency, providing benchmark price assessments, news, and analytics across energy, petrochemicals, metals, and agricultural commodities. Direct head-to-head competitor to ICIS in chemicals and energy pricing.
• Argus Media: Major independent Price Reporting Agency with deep coverage in crude, refined products, petrochemicals, fertilizers, and LPG. Competes directly with ICIS for benchmark pricing influence and enterprise subscriptions in chemicals and energy markets.
• Wood Mackenzie: Global research and consultancy focused on energy, chemicals, and renewables with deep upstream-to-downstream coverage. Overlaps with ICIS in petrochemical and energy market intelligence, with a more research/consulting-led model.
• Rystad Energy: Independent energy research company providing data, analytics, and consulting across oil & gas, energy transition, and renewables. Direct competitor to ICIS in upstream energy intelligence and increasingly in petrochemicals.
• BloombergNEF: Bloomberg's energy and commodities research arm covering energy transition, oil, gas, power, and chemicals. Comparable to ICIS in providing decision-grade market intelligence and forecasts to enterprise and financial customers.
• OPIS (Oil Price Information Service): Price reporting agency for refined products, crude oil, and petrochemical feedstocks, now part of Dow Jones. Direct competitor to ICIS in North American and European feedstock pricing.

Emerging players

• Kpler: Data and analytics platform specializing in commodity tracking via shipping, satellite, and trade flow data. Emerging alternative to traditional PRAs like ICIS, particularly in LNG, oil, and dry bulk intelligence.
• ChemAnalyst: Digital-first petrochemical pricing and analytics platform offering real-time price assessments and supply-demand data. Emerging competitor to ICIS with a more online, lower-cost model targeting mid-market chemicals customers.
• Vortexa: Real-time global energy and freight analytics platform combining shipping data, AIS tracking, and market intelligence. Overlaps with ICIS's LNG Edge and energy supply tracking products in providing data-driven commodity visibility.

Broad incumbents

• S&P Global Market Intelligence: Broader S&P Global data and analytics business covering financial, commodity, and sector intelligence. Adjacent to ICIS through its parent of Platts, with overlap in commodity-related financial and corporate intelligence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/icisofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icis

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICIS