Exegy Launches Hardware-Timestamped Market Data Capture Service

Exegy has partnered with packet capture specialist FMADIO to launch a new end-of-day PCAP service, providing hardware-timestamped raw market data through its Axiom consolidated feed infrastructure. Available across all Axiom points of presence, the service enables trading firms to access high-precision market data captures without deploying and maintaining their own packet capture infrastructure.

The offering uses FMADIO’s FPGA-enabled 40G/100G appliances to minimise packet loss and jitter during periods of peak market activity. Hardware timestamping through Arista switches provides the precision required for latency benchmarking and best-execution analysis. Exegy captures both primary and secondary market data feeds, applying quality checks to validate that files contain no gaps. Low-latency exchange connectivity is provided through Waypoint Trading Solutions.

Captured data is delivered through Amazon Web Services S3 buckets for automated end-of-day retrieval, with daily PCAP files retained for 14 days.

Plus500 Acquires Hedge to Expand US Securities Offering Ahead of Multi-Asset Platform Launch

Plus500 has conditionally agreed to acquire Hedge Capital Markets, expanding its US operations into SEC-regulated securities trading ahead of the planned launch of a unified multi-asset trading platform in Q1 2027. Hedge, founded in 2021, operates an SEC-registered, FINRA-member broker-dealer providing US retail investors with access to exchange-listed securities, including stocks and ETFs.

The acquisition complements Plus500’s existing CFTC-regulated US business, which provides clearing and execution services for futures and prediction markets. It will enable the company to combine these products with stocks, options and ETFs through a single application. Plus500 has also established a New York hub alongside its existing Chicago operations to support the expansion, incorporating Hedge’s personnel and regulatory expertise.

The transaction will be funded from existing cash resources and remains subject to regulatory approval, including FINRA clearance. Plus500 intends to extend its multi-asset platform into additional markets following its initial US launch.

LSEG and CMC Markets Sign Multi-Year Financial Data Agreement

LSEG and CMC Markets have entered into a multi-year strategic agreement expanding CMC’s access to financial data, news and analytics to support the growth of its multi-asset trading and investment businesses. Under the agreement, CMC will gain broader access to LSEG’s real-time and delayed pricing, reference data, corporate actions information, news and analytical content.

The expanded data provision is intended to improve consistency and scalability across CMC’s operations as the company develops new products, enters additional markets and strengthens its institutional and B2B partnerships. CMC will also gain access to LSEG’s AI-ready content, providing a foundation for developing AI-enabled applications and workflows across its business.

The agreement supports CMC’s broader strategy to diversify its financial services offering through technology and infrastructure investment, connecting its trading, investing and institutional capabilities while reducing the operational complexity associated with expanding into new markets and services.

CME Group Introduces Baseball Futures Based on Team Performance Indexes

CME Group has announced the launch of what it describes as the world’s first baseball futures contracts, extending its derivatives offering into professional sports. The contracts were scheduled to begin trading on 12 October, subject to regulatory review.

Developed with FutureSports, the contracts track CME FutureSports Performance Indexes (FSPI), which use official league statistics to measure the performance of professional baseball teams. The initial offering covers the four teams competing in the 2026 League Championship Series, with the broader index framework encompassing all 30 teams.

The contracts are available in standard and micro sizes, with trading supported around the clock through CME’s regulated exchange infrastructure and central clearing arrangements. The underlying indexes use rules-based methodologies that assign positive or negative points according to team performance statistics. CME says the methodologies align with IOSCO Principles for Financial Benchmarks, supported by published governance and oversight procedures.

FactSet Expands Partnership with Scotia Wealth Management

FactSet has expanded its partnership with Scotia Wealth Management, part of Scotiabank, to provide broader access to investment research, market data and portfolio analytics across the Canadian wealth management business. Under the expanded agreement, financial advisers, investment professionals and support teams will gain access to FactSet’s unified research and intelligence platform, bringing together investment research, market information, portfolio analysis, watchlists and other resources within a single environment.

The integration is intended to streamline advisers’ access to information, improve investment workflows and support more informed client engagement. The agreement builds on the existing relationship between the two companies and forms part of Scotia Wealth Management’s ongoing investment in its adviser technology infrastructure.

For FactSet, the expanded partnership strengthens its presence in the wealth management sector, where firms are increasingly seeking integrated data and analytics platforms to improve operational efficiency and support investment decision-making.

Bank of England Expects Firm Action After Sector-Wide Cloud Outage Exercise

The Bank of England expects firms to strengthen their resilience and crisis response following a sector-wide simulation of a global cloud services disruption. The exercise involved 38 of the largest and most systemically important banks and market infrastructure operators, working alongside financial authorities.

The Cross-Market Operational Resilience Group (CMORG) completed the exercise, SIMEX26, on 8 October. The group runs the simulation every two years and is chaired by the Bank and UK Finance, with participation from HM Treasury, the Financial Conduct Authority and the wider financial sector.

Hosted by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and opened by Economic Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Rigby, the exercise focused on how firms and authorities would respond to global disruption affecting cloud-based services. The scenario was developed with industry experts and did not reflect any specific threat information.

SIMEX26 included a live meeting of the Bank-chaired Cross Market Business Continuity Group, which provides strategic direction for the sector’s collective response to systemic incidents. The Bank said it now expects firms to act on the exercise to strengthen their ability to respond to severe operational and cyber scenarios.

The simulation exercised the Sector Response Framework, through which CMORG oversees the sector-wide response to systemic incidents. The framework supports a coordinated response to severe disruption across UK financial services.

Katharine Braddick, Deputy Governor of Prudential Regulation at the Bank and chief executive of the Prudential Regulation Authority, said: “The level of collaboration reflects the priority firms place on maintaining critical services in the face of disruption. That preparedness is essential to safeguarding financial stability.”

The SIMEX programme rehearses responses to challenging disruption scenarios. Previous exercises in 2022 and 2024 considered cyber-attacks against a major bank and disruption to critical infrastructure outside the financial sector.

CMORG’s wider programme identifies systemic risks, develops sector-wide mitigation strategies and shares capabilities and knowledge across financial services, supported by specialist industry groups.

Recent work by the Bank, financial authorities and industry through CMORG has included strengthening third-party engagement and resilience, enabling secure innovation in response to artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, and enhancing cyber preparedness, response and recovery for the most severe disruption scenarios.

Behavox Acquires Apiax to Add Cross-Border and Content Compliance

Behavox has acquired Zurich-based Apiax, adding software that converts financial regulation into machine-readable rules for use within firms’ own systems. The deal extends Behavox’s controls platform into cross-border and content compliance, connecting regulatory interpretation with its regulatory change management, surveillance and archiving products.

Apiax’s embedded compliance software applies regulatory rules at the point of business. Its capabilities complement Pathfinder, Behavox’s regulatory change management product, which identifies changes in regulation. Behavox serves banks, asset managers, hedge funds and commodity firms.

According to Behavox, the combined platform links the identification of regulatory changes, their conversion into operational rules, and the monitoring and recording of resulting decisions. The company says this provides a shared evidence trail across processes that firms have typically managed through separate regulatory intelligence, interpretation and surveillance providers.

“This acquisition extends our platform from regulatory intelligence through to monitoring and evidence. Apiax adds the interpretation layer that turns regulation into action at the point of business,” said Kiryl Trembovolski, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Behavox.

Behavox says the combination reduces manual effort and the cost of maintaining multiple compliance systems.

“Apiax was built to embed compliance where the work happens. Joining Behavox gives our technology the platform, engineering resources, and distribution to reach far more institutions,” said Philip Schoch, Co-Founder and CEO of Apiax.

The acquisition adds engineering and regulatory expertise in Switzerland, Germany, Portugal and the UK. It follows Behavox’s opening of a Milan office in August 2026. The company reported 213% growth in European annual recurring revenue over the preceding two years and received a $175 million preferred equity investment in June 2026 from HPS Investment Partners, part of BlackRock.

Behavox said Apiax customers will continue to receive their existing product and support, backed by its research and development investment and global customer success organisation. The transaction has closed; financial terms were not disclosed.

Lynx Asset Management Selects xyt for Global Equities Liquidity Analytics

Stockholm-based systematic investment manager Lynx Asset Management has selected xyt to provide independent volume and liquidity analytics across global equities markets, supporting the development of its systematic trading strategies.

The partnership will give Lynx a more granular view of intraday liquidity across trading venues, execution mechanisms and different times of day, moving beyond aggregated or end-of-day market data.

xyt’s analytics incorporate market structure classifications, including trade condition codes, deferred transactions, retail flow and addressable trading volumes across lit and dark venues, systematic internalisers and other execution mechanisms. The aim is to provide a consistent picture of where and when executable liquidity is available across markets.

Lynx, which manages systematic strategies spanning equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies, said the additional granularity is already helping refine its liquidity models. The implementation reflects growing demand among quantitative investment firms for more detailed market microstructure data to inform trading and execution decisions.

Clearstream and Brookfield Partner to Expand Private Markets Access

Clearstream has partnered with alternative asset manager Brookfield to expand access to private market investments through its global fund distribution platform, targeting private banks, wealth managers and fund distributors.

The agreement will make Brookfield’s Luxembourg-domiciled evergreen private market funds, spanning infrastructure, private credit and private equity, available through Clearstream’s existing distribution and order-routing infrastructure.

The integration is designed to simplify fund execution, settlement and operational processing, allowing distributors to access private market products through standardised workflows similar to those used for traditional mutual funds.

For Brookfield, which manages approximately $1 trillion in assets, the partnership extends distribution of its private wealth strategies across Clearstream’s international network.

Clearstream Fund Services provides access to more than 85,000 funds through its distribution platform, while its Vestima processing infrastructure supports execution, settlement and custody services for over 245,000 funds across more than 55 markets.

CUSIP Collaborates with MSCI on Private Markets

CUSIP Global Services has begun a collaboration with MSCI to expand coverage to late-stage, venture-backed private companies among its security identification numbers.

MSCI provides access to data on US-domiciled private companies with at least one share class. The collaboration supplies attributes including domicile jurisdiction, dividend details, company name, asset type, and sector classifications alongside identifiers.

“Through this breakthrough collaboration with MSCI, we’re making it possible for investors to participate in private markets using the comparable, trusted standard for identity resolution that public markets have relied upon for decades to track the movement of securities throughout financial markets,” said Managing Director and Global Head of CUSIP Global Services, Scott Preiss.