TruNarrative Expands to US with New Offices in Atlanta

Financial crime and compliance management platform TruNarrative has expanded into the North American market with new US headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The UK-based firm was founded in 2016 and provides a no-code platform connecting multiple identity verification, fraud detection, eKYC, and AML compliance data providers via a single API. “Launching our platform across European markets has provided us with an ideal testbed for demonstrating the value of our unified approach. Addressing Europe’s different regulations will serve us well as we expand into North America’s multiple jurisdictions,” said CEO John Lord.

MiFID II Rules Set to Change as EU Bows to Criticism

The European Commission has suggested that it may tweak MiFID II market rules after an industry backlash criticising the regulation. Issues to be reviewed, according to the FT, include changes to the cost and distribution of market data, investor protection rules, and research for small companies. The FCA has also promised to conduct a sector-wide review of post-MiFID II research pricing, after a multi-firm review in September found that banks could be using their size to undercut independent houses and smaller brokerages.

Silent Eight Wins Funding From SC Ventures

AI-powered anti-money laundering start-up Silent Eight has raised $6.2 million in Series A funding from a group of investors including SC Ventures, the fintech and ventures unit of Standard Chartered Bank. Other investors included OTB Ventures and Wavemaker Partners. Standard Chartered is the largest client of Silent Eight, and has implemented the firm’s sanctions screening process across over 40 markets. Standard Chartered also recently confirmed a new partnership with Quantexa, a contextual decision intelligence software company, to use its big data analytics and AI platform for compliance investigations.

Singapore-Based EDBI Becomes Pico Investor and Strategic Partner

Pico continues its global expansion plan post its acquisition of Corvil with the announcement that Singapore-based investor EDBI has become a Pico investor and strategic partner. Pico launched in APAC about a year ago and has since built presence with strategic hires, new offices and additional data centres in Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Korea and Taiwan. Within the next 18 months, it plans to add 20 more data centres, completing coverage of APAC financial markets. EDBI joins a roster of strategic investors in Pico including Nomura, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, UBS, Wells Fargo, DRW Venture Capital and CMT.

Codel Joins IOWA.rocks with Immutable Market Data Providence Solution

Codel has joined IOWA.rocks financial data marketplace with CODELMARK, a solution including immutable market data providence and a series of applications that enable users to protect and control data, and prove integrity and validity. The IOWA.rocks partner ecosystem brings together content creators, content consumers and innovative technology partners. Codel is expected to have potential in the world of OTC products, where there are often multiple sources for the same instrument, and remove the vagaries and origins of a price to allow firms to transact business knowing they are using validated content that could stand up to regulatory or third-party investigation.

Tokyo Stock Exchange Upgrades Arrowhead Trading Platform

Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) has leveraged the latest technology from Fujitsu to overhaul its ‘arrowhead’ trading platform for the first time in four years. The revised platform is in operation and includes new features that prevent sudden fluctuations in stock prices, improve the opportunity to conclude contracts based on closing prices, and stabilise system performance. Next, TSE and Fujitsu will turn their attention to further development of cash markets.

Horizon Adds Algo for Implementation Shortfall Trading Strategy

Horizon Software has extended its execution algo suite with an implementation shortfall strategy algo that aims to set up two levels of spots and three levels of participation rate. This enables enable users to adapt the participation rate to the spot evolution. The algo also provides choice to either define fixed levels of trading spots or follow the VWAP plus or minus a percentage along the execution. The ultimate aim of the strategy is to increase targeted participation rate when a stock price moves favourably and decrease it when a stock price moves adversely.

Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Services Rebrand to Acuity Following Sale

Moody’s Corporation has completed the sale of Moody’s Analytics Knowledge Services (MAKS) to private equity firm Equistone Partners Europe. MAKS is a knowledge process outsourcing service providing high-value research and analytical support. With backing from Equistone, MAKS has rebranded to Acuity Knowledge Partners and will continue to provide customised knowledge services to a client base of over 300 financial services firms globally, in domains such as investment banking and investment research. The business is headquartered in London and operates from nine locations worldwide, employing a workforce of subject matter experts supported by its proprietary business excellence and automation tools.

Ascent Achieves $19.3m in Funding Round

Chicago-based RegTech provider Ascent has won $19.3 million in Series B funding from a group of investors led by Wells Fargo and ING, with US venture capital firm Drive Capital and the University of Chicago also taking part. The fundraising follows a Series A round in 2018 which raised $6 million. The company will use the capital to recruit new talent, enhance its existing products, and increase brand awareness. Ascent provides an AI-powered compliance platform and is currently carrying out pilot testing with the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN).

CFTE Launches RegTech Book, Online Course

The UK-based Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE), a platform providing online learning for the FinTech space, has announced the launch of a targeted new online RegTech course providing a “thorough foundation of regulatory technologies” through eight hours of video content, curated readings and online assessment.

The announcement was made at the London launch of The RegTech Book, co-authored by CFTE Head of Entrepreneurship Janos Barberis and Douglas Arner, Professor in Law at Hong Kong University. The publication curates industry expertise into a single volume, which aims to serve as a reference point for the RegTech eco-system.