A-Team Insight Brief
Barclays’ Equities Asset Class Prepares for BARX One
Barclays is planning the release of BARX One, a next-generation cross-asset trading platform that unifies for the first time its algorithmic trading and execution services offerings in fixed income, foreign exchange, listed derivatives and now equities. The BARX One initiative aims to optimise execution performance by accessing pools of liquidity through Barclays’ various trading technology solutions. The service brings together new algorithm strategies into a single platform, consistent algo design, and centralised buy/sell signals. According to Mauricio Sada-Paz, Global Head of eFICC Product and Distribution at Barclays, “We believe bringing together each asset class under the BARX brand will help drive innovation and create a better trading experience for our clients.”
SS&C upgrades Advent solutions
SS&C Technologies has released version 19.1 of its Advent portfolio management solutions. The Advent products, acquired in 2015, include Advent Portfolio Exchange (APX), a portfolio accounting and reporting solution that includes a new API for portfolios and token-based authentication capabilities. APX regulatory reporting is also improved. Advent Genesis, a cloud-based rebalancing, portfolio construction and trade creation platform, includes gain/loss calculations on proposed orders allowing users to monitor tax impacts, additional views for model comparisons and exposure analysis, and ability to allocate cash based on model targets. Advent Lumis, a data governance tool for Geneva, features new Rule Builder functionality.
eXate enables ‘Privacy by Design’ in OpenFin OS
Desktop interoperability platform OpenFin has added eXate’s data privacy capabilities to its operating system to ensure compliance with the EU’s GDPR, which came into force a year ago and requires that new applications are designed with privacy considerations factored in from the outset, a so-called ‘privacy by design’ approach. eXate restricts data only to authorised users based on customisable policies set by compliance and legal teams. Says eXate CEO Peter Lancos: “Application developers building on OpenFin now have a central ‘out of the box’ utility to manage end-to-end data privacy and protection, allowing them to focus their efforts on delivering business value instead of needing to become regulatory experts.”
Colt Deploys ADVA to Add Encryption for GDPR Compliance
High-performance trading connectivity specialist Colt Technology Services has added an Ethernet Line Encryption service to help organisations comply with new data privacy rules, particularly the EU’s GDPR, as firms seek to protect their data during transport from cyberattacks. The new Colt solution uses the ADVA FSP 150 with ConnectGuard security technology, which provides end-to-end data protection for low-latency high-speed performance of up to 10Gbits per second. Ethernet Line Encryption is now available in Europe, North America and Asia on metro, national and international Ethernet line circuits.
Clarity Partners to Market MDX, IOWA.rocks in APAC
Clarity Partners has been named as sales agent for MDX Technology (MDXT) and its IOWA.rocks affiliate in the APAC region. MDXT provides data and distribution solutions for the global trading community. IOWA.rocks is the new on-demand financial data marketplace for all content creators and content consumers. Under the terms of the agreement, Clarity Partners will provide business development services for both MDXT and IOWA.rocks including account management of existing clients and lead generation activities.
MOEX Deploys Avelacom to Expand Connectivity in Asia, Middle East
Moscow Exchange (MOEX) has deployed Avelacom networking infrastructure technology at new points of presence (PoPs) in data centres in Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Dubai and Mumbai. MOEX’s PoPs feature FIX connections for trading transactions, access to MOEX’s market data, and sponsored access to MOEX’s equity, fixed-income, foreign exchange and derivatives markets. market. MOEX’s use of Avelacom equipment has also allowed it to reduce latency on its connection to Equinix’s LD4 data centre to 36 milliseconds from 41 milliseconds.
Cboe Launches FX Point for One-to-One FX Trading
Cboe has launched FX Point, a foreign exchange trading platform that allows institutional clients to trade directly with one or more of their preferred counterparties while benefiting from Cboe’s trading technology, credit and straight-through processing infrastructure. The platform offers low-cost support of one-to-one relationship-based trading, and features configurable routing, message rate and order review time functionalities. The solution provides flexibility to liquidity providers and their clients, while minimizing market impact. Access is via the Cboe FX FIX Bookfeed and ITCH protocols for expedited on-boarding.
Alternative Data Gives Asset Managers Investing Edge
Some 71% of asset managers believe alternative data gives them an investing edge over competitors, according to a study by Greenwich Associates commissioned by IHS Markit. Around half of investment managers are using alternative data with another quarter planning to do so in the next 12 months, according to the research. Nearly 30% of quantitative funds attribute at least 20% of their alpha to alternative data, while 42% of asset managers believe the alpha edge they achieve using alternative data lasts at least four years. For practitioners, the tools to analyse the data are as important as the data.
Accuity Offers Sentiment-Based Research Terminal on MetaQuotes Platform
Acuity Trading, a provider of AI data-driven trading tools, has released a sentiment-based research terminal, essentially a news data solution based on MetaQuotes MT4 and MT5 trading platforms. The terminal augments existing services offered on MT4 and is the
springboard for Acuity’s services on MT5. Users of the terminal on MT4 or 5 can access financial news, calendar, sentiment data and Acuity’s unique AI-driven Market Alerts tool in a single expert advisor. By integrating the terminal product with the platforms, traders are able to conduct trade research within the platforms. The terminal also includes the ability to launch trade tickets.
LCH RepoClear Selects UnaVista as Trade Repository for SFTR Reporting
LCH RepoClear has selected UnaVista as its trade repository for reporting under Securities Financing Transaction Regulation (SFTR). LCH Group’s collateral and liquidity management function will also use UnaVista for SFTR reporting. The regulation is scheduled to go live in April 2020 and will require firms to report details of their Securities Financing Transactions (SFTs) to an approved trade repository. The regulation is designed to increase transparency, allowing regulatory authorities to assess the risks associated with these transactions. UnaVista will offer assisted reporting to LCH RepoClear members.