Bloomberg Opens Up its Data to Programmers
February 1, 2012
Bloomberg said it is releasing an open-source version of an interface that will let programmers write applications that use its market data.
The Bloomberg Open Application Programming Interface (BLPAPI) will be made available under a free license. The company intends for the interface to become “ a free and flexible universal language for market data exchange and distribution.’’
This follows Bloomberg’s delivery of Open Symbology in 2009, intended similarly to establish a universal method of identifying securities across all global asset classes.
BLPAPI currently is used by more than 100,000 professionals in the financial services industry.
In addition to Bloomberg Professional service subscribers, non-Bloomberg customers, vendors and software developers can now use BLPAPI as an alternative to proprietary technologies for market data distribution.
This is Bloomberg began an Open Market Data Initiative last year.
“We intend to evolve BLPAPI into an open standard with the help of an independent committee charged with managing the future development and stability of a truly open market data interface,” said Shawn Edwards, Chief Technology Officer of Bloomberg LP. “Open technologies allow our customers, partners, and others to direct resources towards developing innovative services instead of coping with rigid technologies.”
The BLPAPI interface works with a comprehensive set of programming languages and operating systems, including Java, C, C++, .NET, COM and Perl.
