About a-team Marketing Services
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry
The knowledge platform for the financial technology industry

A-Team Insight Blogs

Lime Brokerage Rolls LimeDirect Pre-Trade Risk; Minimises Latency, Shuns FPGA Technology

Subscribe to our newsletter

Lime Brokerage has rolled out its LimeDirect pre-trade risk service – providing compliance for SEC rule 15c3-5 while adding minimal latency. But unlike competitive services, the offering – which Lime officials say is based on an “innovative blend of hardware and software” – does not leverage FPGA technology, because Lime technologists believe it is too inflexible in terms of rapid code development and ongoing maintenance.

David Polen, managing director for systematic trading and product management at Lime, declines to provide details about the technology that is being used, but says that the performance is such that LimeDirect adds less than 250 nanoseconds of latency in each direction for a transaction. In this respect, he “firmly believes” LimeDirect to be the lowest latency pre-trade risk offering available.

Observers have speculated that network packet processors, as used by the likes of Artha Financial Technology, Fundamental Interactions and Mantara might be being leveraged by Lime, since they provide FPGA-like performance, but with better programmability.

As well as providing common 15c3-5 checks, such as fat finger, quantity, notional boundary and limit-too-far, LimeDirect also offers support for Reg NMS and Reg SHO, and can track aggregate exposures across multiple markets to maximise use of margin funds. It also generates end-of-day Oats reports.

LimeDirect can be deployed as a standalone service or in conjunction with other Lime offerings, including its LimeInside sponsored access service and its Citrius market data feeds. Customers might typically deploy LimeDirect with their own connectivity for markets where the lowest latency is required, and use LimeInside for other markets, where latency is less of a driver.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Related content

WEBINAR

Upcoming Webinar: The Role of Data Fabric and Data Mesh in Modern Trading Infrastructures

23 September 2025 10:00am ET | 3:00pm London | 4:00pm CET Duration: 50 Minutes The demands on trading infrastructure are intensifying. Increasing data volumes, the necessity for real-time processing, and stringent regulatory requirements are exposing the limitations of legacy data architectures. In response, firms are re-evaluating their data strategies to improve agility, scalability, and governance....

BLOG

A Look Ahead to This Year’s AI in Capital Markets Summit London

On 22 May, the AI in Capital Markets Summit returns to London for its second year, bringing together data, technology, and innovation leaders from across the financial services sector for a full day of discussion around AI strategy, deployment, and governance. Held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City, this A-Team Group event will examine...

EVENT

TradingTech Briefing New York

Our TradingTech Briefing in New York is aimed at senior-level decision makers in trading technology, electronic execution, trading architecture and offers a day packed with insight from practitioners and from innovative suppliers happy to share their experiences in dealing with the enterprise challenges facing our marketplace.

GUIDE

AI in Capital Markets: Practical Insight for a Transforming Industry – Free Handbook

AI is no longer on the horizon – it’s embedded in the infrastructure of modern capital markets. But separating real impact from inflated promises requires a grounded, practical understanding. The AI in Capital Markets Handbook 2025 provides exactly that. Designed for data-driven professionals across the trade life-cycle, compliance, infrastructure, and strategy, this handbook goes beyond...