McKay Brothers, specialist provider of low-latency network services for trading and market data distribution, has activated a new private transport service between London and Singapore with a round-trip latency of less than 137 milliseconds, aimed principally at firms trading cryptocurrencies and FX.
“We continually evaluate where our services can add the most value for clients by supporting more efficient price discovery and risk management,” Nicolas Desjardins,
Account Management & Business Development for Crypto Connectivity, tells TradingTech Insight. “The London-Singapore connection addresses two primary asset classes, crypto and FX, where liquidity formation between such global hubs is accelerating. Firms in these markets require robust and efficient data transport to improve cross-regional access. Our approach is to provide technically rigorous solutions in a way that not only optimises performance, but also ensures all clients operate on an equal access basis, and the London-Singapore route aligns well with that philosophy.”The network connects the Equinix LD4 data centre in Slough, UK, with the AWS cloud in Singapore. The LD4 data centre is a major hub for financial services, hosting infrastructure for traditional markets as well as a growing number of crypto trading platforms, including Deribit and Kraken. The connection in Singapore links to the AWS cloud, which hosts the crypto exchange Bybit.
“Our role has always been connecting geographically dispersed trading venues, and the digital asset markets extend this challenge in new ways,” explains Desjardins. “Unlike traditional equity and derivatives markets, many crypto exchanges are hosted in the cloud. That changes how firms connect: they often require delivery directly into cloud environments, including layer-3 handoffs. By contrast, traditional finance has historically required handoff much closer to the transmission layer. Another key distinction is the absence of multicast in cloud deployments, which makes market data dissemination more complex. We’ve worked closely with crypto trading firms to adapt our services to these needs, ensuring data delivery models that are technically sound, reliable, and efficient.”
The new route, which the company claims is the fastest path between LD4 and Singapore, is the latest in a series of network expansions by McKay designed to connect key global trading hubs. The company previously launched an ultra-low latency service between Tokyo, London, and Dublin, also targeting the crypto trading community. Other recent additions to its network include routes connecting London with Stockholm and New Jersey with Toronto, servicing traditional equity markets.
McKay states that its services are offered under a ‘Level Playing Field’ policy, meaning all subscribers are offered the same latency. “In both traditional and digital markets, firms are increasingly sophisticated in assessing infrastructure providers beyond raw performance,” notes Desjardins. “Many recognise that some networks are operated by trading firms, meaning a client’s data may run through infrastructure owned by a competitor. McKay is different. We are independent, client-first, and purpose-built; our infrastructure exists solely to serve subscribers.”
He continues: “This independence allows us to focus entirely on technical excellence, operational reliability, and fairness. Our policy of providing equal access to the best tier to all clients is well established in traditional markets and is resonating strongly in digital assets. We believe markets function best when every firm, large or small, can access trusted tools and compete on merit. That combination, engineering quality and true neutrality, is a key reason clients, including some of the industry’s largest firms, continue to choose McKay.”
The firm’s portfolio of services for digital asset trading now includes low-latency transport connecting Tokyo with Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Chicago, and Ashburn, VA.
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