expression
from what I've heard; according to reports; they say
Used to introduce information obtained from hearsay or reports, without specifying the source. Often placed at the beginning of a sentence.
聞くところによると、あの店は来月閉店するらしい。
From what I've heard, that shop is apparently closing next month.
聞くところによると、彼は海外に転勤になったそうだ。
According to reports, he has been transferred overseas.
らしい is a sentence-ending auxiliary that expresses conjecture based on hearsay or evidence, while 聞くところによると explicitly frames the information as coming from what one has heard.
そうだ (hearsay) is a sentence-ending auxiliary that reports information from another source, similar in function but less explicit about the act of hearing than 聞くところによると.
A set phrase composed of 聞く (to hear) + ところ (place/point) + に (particle) + よると (according to). Literally 'according to the place where one hears', it became a fixed expression for introducing hearsay.