VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★

PRICE: 5 CENTS

Tuesday, November 11, 2025

Tool Comparison

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) vs European Central Bank (ECB) comparison

Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.

Quick takeaways

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) adds Data Visualizations, and Housing & Construction coverage that European Central Bank (ECB) skips.

European Central Bank (ECB) includes News, Yield Curves, GDP, and Unemployment Rates categories that BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) omits.

In depth comparison

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)

data.bis.org

Official BIS portal for global monetary/financial statistics with an SDMX REST API and bulk downloads. Covers international banking (locational/consolidated), debt securities, credit to the non‑financial sector, global liquidity, exchange‑traded & OTC derivatives, Triennial FX/IR derivatives turnover, property prices, consumer prices, effective/bilateral exchange rates, and central bank statistics (policy rates, total assets). Features include a release calendar (with RSS), shareable query links, bookmarks, custom charts/tables, and export to Excel/CSV/PDF. API adheres to the SDMX REST v2.1 spec; formats include JSON, XML, and CSV.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided.
Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps.
Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available.
Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF.
Code snippets generator (Python/R/Matlab) to fetch selected series via the SDMX API; shareable URLs preserve filters/settings.

Community votes (overall)

0% upvotes 0% downvotes

You haven't voted yet

View full profile Visit site

European Central Bank (ECB)

ecb.europa.eu

The official portal of the European Central Bank, including its Data Portal. Provides free access to monetary policy information, publications, and structured datasets. Data is available through a public SDMX 2.1 REST API with CSV and SDMX-JSON formats, bulk downloads, and chart-level exports. Key scheduled releases include €STR at 08:00 CET, FX reference rates around 16:00 CET, and daily euro area yield curves at 12:00 CET.

Platforms

WebAPI

Pricing

Free

Quick highlights

Public SDMX 2.1 REST API with access to the ECB Data Portal (data-api.ecb.europa.eu). Existing SDW endpoints continue to work with unchanged syntax.
Flexible format support including SDMX-ML, SDMX-JSON, CSV, and pivot-table-optimized CSV. Supports HTTP compression for efficient transfers.
Excel integration via Power Query using CSV endpoints or the application/vnd.ecb.data+csv MIME type.
Bulk dataset downloads available directly from dataset pages, including CSV and SDMX 2.1 exports.
€STR (Euro Short-Term Rate) published daily at 08:00 CET, with revisions at 09:00 CET if errors exceed 2 basis points.

Community votes (overall)

0% upvotes 0% downvotes

You haven't voted yet

View full profile Visit site

Where they differ

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)

Distinct strengths include:

Data Visualizations Housing & Construction

SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided.
Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps.
Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available.
Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF.

European Central Bank (ECB)

Distinct strengths include:

News Yield Curves GDP Unemployment Rates

Public SDMX 2.1 REST API with access to the ECB Data Portal (data-api.ecb.europa.eu). Existing SDW endpoints continue to work with unchanged syntax.
Flexible format support including SDMX-ML, SDMX-JSON, CSV, and pivot-table-optimized CSV. Supports HTTP compression for efficient transfers.
Excel integration via Power Query using CSV endpoints or the application/vnd.ecb.data+csv MIME type.
Bulk dataset downloads available directly from dataset pages, including CSV and SDMX 2.1 exports.

Feature-by-feature breakdown

Attribute	BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements)	European Central Bank (ECB)
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets	Shared: Data APIs, Calendar, Central Bank Watcher, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates Unique: Data Visualizations, Housing & Construction	Shared: Data APIs, Calendar, Central Bank Watcher, Inflation Rates, Interest Rates Unique: News, Yield Curves, GDP, Unemployment Rates
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes	Bonds, Currencies, Options, Futures, Commodities, Real Estate, Other	Bonds, Currencies, Other
Experience levels Who each product is built for	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced	Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Platforms Where you can access the product	Web, API	Web, API
Pricing High-level pricing models	Free	Free
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor	Unique SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided. Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps. Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available. Portal exports: Excel/CSV for selected time series (up to 4,500 series per export); Tables & Dashboards can be exported as PDF. Code snippets generator (Python/R/Matlab) to fetch selected series via the SDMX API; shareable URLs preserve filters/settings. Interactive exploration: search by keyword or series key (supports wildcards), custom tables, multi‑series charts, and break markers on series.	Unique Public SDMX 2.1 REST API with access to the ECB Data Portal (data-api.ecb.europa.eu). Existing SDW endpoints continue to work with unchanged syntax. Flexible format support including SDMX-ML, SDMX-JSON, CSV, and pivot-table-optimized CSV. Supports HTTP compression for efficient transfers. Excel integration via Power Query using CSV endpoints or the application/vnd.ecb.data+csv MIME type. Bulk dataset downloads available directly from dataset pages, including CSV and SDMX 2.1 exports. €STR (Euro Short-Term Rate) published daily at 08:00 CET, with revisions at 09:00 CET if errors exceed 2 basis points. Euro foreign exchange reference rates updated around 16:00 CET on working days, provided for information purposes.
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat	Not yet	Not yet
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists	Standard listing	Standard listing

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workflows do BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and European Central Bank (ECB) both support?

Both platforms cover Data APIs, Calendar, Central Bank Watcher, Inflation Rates, and Interest Rates workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.

Do BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and European Central Bank (ECB) require subscriptions?

Both BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and European Central Bank (ECB) keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.

How can you access BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and European Central Bank (ECB)?

Both BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) and European Central Bank (ECB) prioritize web or desktop access. Investors wanting a mobile-first workflow may need to rely on responsive web views.

What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?

BIS Data Portal (Bank for International Settlements) differentiates itself with SDMX RESTful API for programmatic access to data & metadata; supports JSON, XML, CSV output; interactive API docs provided., Bulk downloads: each topic downloadable as a zipped CSV or SDMX file; topical packages show last‑updated stamps., and Release calendar with upcoming/past releases; exportable (CSV/Excel) and accessible via API; RSS feed available., whereas European Central Bank (ECB) stands out for Public SDMX 2.1 REST API with access to the ECB Data Portal (data-api.ecb.europa.eu). Existing SDW endpoints continue to work with unchanged syntax., Flexible format support including SDMX-ML, SDMX-JSON, CSV, and pivot-table-optimized CSV. Supports HTTP compression for efficient transfers., and Excel integration via Power Query using CSV endpoints or the application/vnd.ecb.data+csv MIME type..

Keep exploring

Stay on top of related tools

Browse the categories and profiles that overlap most with this comparison to round out your shortlist.