A-Team Insight Brief
Heliocor Partners with LAN2LAN on KYC/AML
Heliocor, an emerging regulatory technology company based in London, has announced a partnership agreement with UK-based LAN2LAN for professional services and implementation of its AML/KYC offerings. The agreement will enable Heliocor to take advantage of LAN2LAN’s network infrastructure design and implementation skills to implement its fraud reducing products. LAN2LAN offer support across a broad spectrum of installation options: including cloud, hybrid cloud, secure wireless, mobility and cybersecurity. The agreement will leverage LAN2LAN’s Robolitics and Dokstor products to increase security and reduce costs associated with processing fraud detection during transaction, principally for KYC and AML checks.
SX Sells its 18.6% Stake in IRESS
The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has entered an agreement to sell its 18.6% stake in IRESS, terminating an 18-year investment in the developer of software and services for financial markets and wealth management. The sale has been underwritten at a fixed price of $11.95 per share and is expected to realise gross proceeds of $385 million. ASX managing director Dominic Stevens says: “IRESS has been an attractive investment for ASX over many years. But we believe now is the right time to divest as it no longer provides the strategic value to ASX that it once did.”
Solidatus Targets Asia-Pacific from Office in Singapore
Solidatus, provider of a data lineage and business relationship mapping solution, has opened an office in Singapore to address Asia-Pacific markets. The expansion comes off the back of two trade missions to Asia in 2018, both of which were at the invitation of the UK Department of International Trade. John Berven, who has experience of the region and spent 18 years at State Street Global Markets, where he managed foreign exchange sales team that covered institutional investors in Hong Kong and Singapore for five years, will lead the Singapore office and be the first Solidatus employee outside the UK.
CAT NMS Names FINRA as Plan Processor for the CAT after Dropping Thesys
CAT NMS has selected the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) as plan processor for the consolidated audit trail (CAT), having dumped previous plan processor Thesys Technologies earlier this year. CAT NMS, which is responsible for implementation of the CAT, has also released updated industry member technology specifications and industry member technical specifications scenarios.
QuantHouse Adds Euronext’s FastMatch FX Tape to API Ecosystem
QuantHouse has added Euronext’ FastMatch consolidated market data product, FX Tape, to its API ecosystem. Available as part of QuantFeed and responsible for normalising and disseminating market data for over 140 feeds, FastMatch’s FX Tape provides a large degree of post-trade transparency. Kevin Wolf, CEO of FastMatch, comments: “FX Tape makes post-trade information for the spot market accessible to everyone as we deliver transaction information from a broad range of sources. We anticipate that QuantHouse will act as a complementary channel for those wishing to access the FX Tape in addition to our suite of Spot FX Market Data products.”
BSO Partners Stake Capital to Deliver Blockchain Staking-as-a-Service
Stake Capital, a provider of secure delegation services, has partnered network, cloud and hosting provider BSO to deliver blockchain staking-as-a-service for institutional cryptocurrency. The Stake Capital platform and its digital assets custodian services enable institutional investors to securely manage their crypto investments while viewing insights and analytics regarding their investments’ performance through staking and lending. BSO is equipping Stake Capital with private connectivity to Amazon Web Services (AWS), which delivers low latency and avoids using the public internet. Stake Capital is leveraging the AWS platform to ensure maximum uptime and availability across all proof-of-stake networks.
ESMA Names Three UK CCPs to Offer Services in the EU Following a No-Deal Brexit
ESMA has named three UK central counterparties (CCPs) that will be allowed to provide services in the EU following a no-deal Brexit. The CCPs are LCH, ICE Clear Europe, and LME Clear and have been selected to limit the risk of disruption in central clearing and avoid any negative impact on the financial stability of the EU in the case of a no-deal Brexit. ESMA also supports continued access to UK central securities depositories (CSDs) and is in the process of selecting which ones will continue to be recognised in the EU after a no-deal Brexit.
InfluxData Raises $60 Million Funding to Further Develop its Time Series Database
InfluxData, creator of the InfluxDB time series database, has raised $60 million in Series D funding, led by Norwest Venture Partners and joined by Sorenson Capital and existing investors Sapphire Ventures, Battery Ventures, Mayfield Fund, Trinity Ventures and Harmony Partners. The funds will support further investment in product innovation, with increased focus on the cloud, and building out sales and marketing to meet growing product demand, as well as customer support. InfluxData will also begin to market its solutions for specific uses, including financial services.
Broadridge Report Reveals Damage of Poor Personalised Communications
Broadridge Financial Solutions has released a rather telling report for those at financial institutions responsible for customer onboarding and client lifecycle management. The report shows that personalisation in communications can make a significant impact on customer loyalty. Some 35% of 3,004 consumers surveyed in the US and Canada said companies they use need to improve communication experiences, while 25% stopped doing business with a company specifically due to poorly personalised communications, a percentage that grows to 35% among millennials.
Vela Partners Smart Order Router Provider CoinRoutes
Vela, a trading and market access technology firm, has partnered CoinRoutes, a provider of consolidated data, smart order routing (SOR) and algorithmic trading for crypto investors, in order to extend its crypto-asset SOR offering and achieve optimal aggregate prices across selected crypto exchanges. Peggy Sullivan, chief of staff at Vela, says, “Our partnership with CoinRoutes allows traders to leverage sophisticated SOR and algorithmic strategies to achieve best execution.”