ACA Adds Transaction Cost Analysis Capabilities with Global Trading Analytics Acquisition

ACA Group has acquired Global Trading Analytics (GTA), expanding its capabilities in transaction cost analysis (TCA) and best execution support across global financial markets. The move strengthens ACA’s positioning as a provider of technology-enabled governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) solutions, particularly for firms navigating increasingly complex regulatory expectations.

GTA, based in Rutherford, New Jersey, brings with it a long-established reputation in multi-asset class TCA, including equities, fixed income, foreign exchange, futures, and derivatives. Its client base—comprising investment advisers, asset managers, broker-dealers, and wealth managers—will now have access to ACA’s broader suite of compliance and risk solutions. Nearly half of GTA’s clients already work with ACA, offering opportunities for deeper integration.

TCA has grown in importance as regulators continue to scrutinize execution quality. The data-intensive process helps firms measure both explicit and implicit trading costs, allowing them to evaluate broker performance, refine algorithmic strategies, and demonstrate compliance with best execution standards.

Commenting on the rationale behind the deal, ACA CEO Patrick Olson said: “The acquisition of GTA underscores our ongoing commitment to expanding our offerings and equipping our clients with the tools and expertise they need to meet evolving compliance requirements.”

GTA’s leadership sees the transaction as an opportunity to scale while maintaining continuity for existing clients. “Along with my fellow co-founders, Joe Arleo and Clem Cheng, we’re pleased that this partnership ensures our clients will continue to receive the high-touch service they rely on, now strengthened by ACA’s complementary capabilities and broad resources,” said John Halligan, Co-Founder and President of GTA.

The combined offering is expected to deliver enhanced support for firms seeking to reduce trading costs, optimize execution quality, and meet regulatory obligations with confidence.

DMI Euro Award Winner WeeFin Raises €25m in Funding Round for ESG Platform

ESG data management startup WeeFin has raised €25 million in a Series B funding round to help develop its SaaS platform for the financial services sector.

The Paris-based startup, which won last year’s Data Management Insight Euro Award for Best Data Management Initiative for ESG, said the capital injection was led by BlackFin Capital Partners, a European fintech fund, as well as existing investors IRIS, Asterion Ventures and Ring Capita.

WeeFin said the additional funds would also help it drive international expansion, including in the UK through its London office.

Formed in 2021, the company provides ESG data optimisation services to 40 customers that oversee a total of €6.9 trillion.

Duco Updates Financial Firms’ Reconciliation Maturity Model

Financial data automation specialist Duco has updated its Reconciliation Maturity Model, which guides institutions through the process of streamlining their reconciliation functions.

The model helps firms establish their level of maturity in moving from manual to automated operations and then shows them how they can get to the next level. Duco said that an organisation with 1,000 controls can potentially save as much as US$38 million annually by following its best-practice guide.

Even institutions at the most advanced stage of maturity can obtain benefits to the tune of $6,000 savings in audit costs by following the guide, Duco said.

Apex to Accelerate Ascend on Google Cloud

Apex Group, a global financial services provider, has signed a deal with Google Cloud to fast-track the development of its Ascend trading, clearing and custody tool.

The New York-based company said it would use Google Cloud’s tools to build an integrated artificial intelligence stack, infrastructure and other tools for data, security and communication.

Apex Ascend was launched last year to provide “a suite of modern capabilities that enable fintech, wealth management and institutional clients to go from idea to launch seamlessly and confidently”, the company said.

The tie-up will see Apex use Google Cloud’s AlloyDB database service, its Big Query artificial intelligence-ready data platform, the Looker intelligence platform and Looker Studio self-service tools as well as Vertex AI, an AI development platform.

Snowflake Hosts JPX’s J-Quants Pro Market Data

JPX Market Innovation & Research’s J-Quants Pro market data sets are now available on Snowflake, giving clients access to Japanese financial market data and analytics.

The new access channel for J-Quants Pro data will complement its API and SFTP connectivity provisions.

24 Exchange Launches Live FX Swaps Trading with CobaltFX’s Dynamic Credit Technology

24 Exchange has launched live FX swaps trading, supported by CobaltFX’s Dynamic Credit process, which optimises real-time credit allocation and provides enhanced liquidity access. The move is aimed at improving credit intermediation, reducing operational risk, and enabling more flexible trade execution.

As part of United Fintech, CobaltFX provides infrastructure that allows trading counterparties to pre-set credit limits and adjust them dynamically during market activity. This enables participants on 24 Exchange’s platform to maximise credit usage, minimise pre-funding requirements, and lower settlement risk. The adoption of this technology is expected to drive broader market efficiency in FX Swaps and support continued growth in automated and capital-efficient trading practices.

Amundi Technology and Murex Partner to Enhance OTC Derivatives Management for Investment Managers

Amundi Technology and Murex have entered a strategic partnership aimed at delivering an integrated solution for investment managers. This new offering combines the multi-asset capabilities of ALTO Investment, Amundi Technology’s platform, with Murex’s MX.3 system, recognised for its front-to-back OTC derivatives management. The integration enables asset managers, insurers, pension funds, and family offices to access Murex’s robust functionalities directly through ALTO Investment.

The collaboration aims to enhance operational efficiency and support informed decision-making by providing advanced portfolio management tools, comprehensive market data, and broad instrument coverage. Murex’s contribution includes sophisticated features for OTC derivatives, such as payoff modelling, lifecycle event management, and risk analytics. This partnership builds on a longstanding relationship, as Amundi has utilised MX.3 for managing its OTC derivatives portfolios since 2007.

Bloomberg Unveils AI-Powered Document Search Tool

Bloomberg has added a generative artificial intelligence module to its research functions, enabling users to query company documents using conversational language.

AI-Powered Document Insights has been built out from the data Behemoth’s AI-Powered Earnings Call Summaries and works alongside its AI-Powered News Summaries. The latest model enables the search and summarisation of documents from a library of more than 200 million company documents and from the Bloomberg News trove of articles, which is updated with 5,000 new pieces of writing each day.

The models behind AI-Powered Document Insights have been trained to understand the nuanced language of finance and created with the help of analysts in the Bloomberg Intelligence research business.

ULTUMUS and FlexTrade Partner to Streamline ETF Data Delivery via FlexOMS

ULTUMUS, the ETF and index data provider, has partnered with FlexTrade Systems to enhance ETF data integration within FlexTrade’s sell-side Order Management System, FlexOMS. The collaboration addresses increasing demand for seamless ETF trading processes, particularly the complex creation and redemption workflows that require access to multi-asset, intra-day updated data.

By combining their open-architecture technologies and flexible APIs, the two firms will allow mutual clients to integrate ULTUMUS’ ETF data – including Start of Day, full, and delta files – directly into FlexOMS. This integration simplifies ETF workflow management by providing dynamically updated data throughout the trading day, enabling efficient trading, and reducing manual processes in ETF component handling and basket transactions.

Mauritius Commercial Bank Upgrades eFX Platform with Integral’s Technology

Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) has implemented technology from Integral, the currency technology provider, to enhance its eFX platform, MCB Wave. The integration allows MCB to offer a modern, client-focused platform that is fully branded and user-friendly, aimed at both domestic and international corporate and institutional clients, and aligns with MCB’s strategy to support regional growth across Africa.

By automating pricing distribution and leveraging Integral’s scalable, white-label solutions, MCB can now act as a liquidity provider with access to reliable and competitive FX pricing across a wide range of currency pairs. The upgrade aims to facilitate improved pricing, better liquidity, and seamless system integration.