FCA Extends UK Equity Consolidated Tape Consultation

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has extended the deadline for its consultation on the proposed framework for the UK Equity Consolidated Tape. The consultation period for CP25/31 will now close on 13 February 2026, providing market participants with additional time to respond.

CP25/31 sets out the regulatory architecture for a UK equity consolidated tape, including data-contribution obligations for trading venues and Approved Publication Arrangements (APAs), alongside the governance, operational and commercial expectations for a future Consolidated Tape Provider (CTP).

At the heart of the FCA’s plan is a centralised, standardised view of UK equity market activity. The tape would aggregate post-trade data and selected pre-trade information – most notably an attributed best bid and offer – across lit venues and OTC trading. The objective is to address long-standing fragmentation in UK equity data, where firms currently rely on multiple proprietary feeds with inconsistent formats, latency profiles and licensing terms.

The consultation extension is also notable for what it signals about the next phase of the project. Potential CTP candidates may use the additional time to refine expressions of interest, stress-test technical architectures and clarify commercial models. Market participants, meanwhile, are being asked to provide concrete evidence on implementation costs, governance safeguards and how the tape could be consumed operationally rather than remaining a purely analytical tool.

While the FCA has indicated that a policy statement will follow once responses are assessed, the timetable points toward a target go-live in 2027. That places the UK on a trajectory that broadly parallels, but does not replicate, the EU’s own consolidated tape ambitions.

For now, the extended deadline creates a wider window for engagement. Whether the consolidated tape ultimately delivers simpler access and lower costs will hinge less on the concept itself and more on the details now being debated: data scope, pricing discipline and the operational realities of integrating a single market view into day-to-day trading and compliance workflows.

AQX Technologies Launches SWIFT Connector for Post-Trade Automation

AQX Technologies has announced the launch of its new SWIFT Connector, designed to streamline post-trade messaging for buy-side and sell-side firms. This addition to the AQX platform provides native support for SWIFT messaging, enabling clients to send and receive trade confirmations and data securely. The integration facilitates straight-through processing (STP) from trade capture to settlement, replacing legacy manual workflows such as emails and CSV-based processes.

By orchestrating confirmations, status updates, and exceptions within a single system, the connector helps firms reduce operational risk and improve confirmation times. It also strengthens audit trails to meet evolving regulatory requirements. This release builds on AQX’s recent growth and supports the wider industry trend of modernising middle- and back-office operations for greater speed and accuracy.

TNS Expands APAC Footprint with Connectivity to Japan Alternative Market

Transaction Network Services (TNS) has expanded its infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region by establishing connectivity to the Japan Alternative Market (JAX). This integration provides customers with direct, managed access to market data feeds from JAX, which began operations in December 2024 as a new trading venue for Japanese equities. Global firms can now incorporate this data into their trading and analytics workflows through TNS’s extensive global network.

This new connection addresses the complexity of accessing Asian exchanges, which often require bespoke broker arrangements. TNS simplifies this by enabling clients to view JAX market data alongside other major exchanges via a low-latency managed network and an extranet of over 5,000 endpoints. The addition of JAX reinforces TNS’s presence in the region, joining an existing Japanese exchange portfolio that includes Japannext, the Tokyo Financial Exchange (TFX), and the Japan Exchange Group (JPX).

Simplifying AML for Mutuals: Napier AI and Mutual Vision’s Sector-Focused Approach

Napier AI and Mutual Vision have partnered to address a long-standing gap in financial crime compliance technology for building societies and credit unions, launching a sector-specific platform designed around the operational realities of mutual companies in the UK and Canada.

The result, MV Shield – Powered by Napier AI, is positioned as a compliance-as-a-service platform that combines Mutual Vision’s experience supporting mutual organisations with Napier AI’s financial crime technology. Rather than adapting generic AML systems, MV Shield has been configured specifically for smaller institutions that often operate with lean compliance teams and legacy or manual processes.

For many building societies and credit unions, fragmented tooling and limited in-house technical capacity have made it difficult to keep pace with rising regulatory expectations. The partnership aims to simplify that challenge by providing pre-configured controls, reporting, and risk models that reflect the behaviours and risk profiles typical of the mutual sector.

Unlike broad, one-size-fits-all AML platforms, MV Shield is built around the operational patterns of mutuals. It brings together customer screening and transaction monitoring within a managed service model, allowing institutions to deploy established compliance workflows from the outset without undertaking complex internal development. The platform also incorporates AI models tailored to mutual-sector risk exposure, alongside more than one hundred pre-configured typologies developed through Napier AI’s work with the Financial Conduct Authority.

Taken together, this approach is intended to allow smaller compliance teams to deliver outcomes more commonly associated with much larger operations. Faster onboarding reduced false positives, and the ability to scale compliance activity without proportionate increases in headcount are positioned as practical benefits of the model.

Greg Watson, CEO of Napier AI, said: “MV Shield makes compliance-first AI accessible to institutions that have traditionally been underserved by the technology market. Mutual Vision’s deep roots in the building society sector, combined with Napier AI’s proven platform and regulatory expertise, create a powerful proposition that strengthens operational resilience and reduces the burden of compliance.”

From Mutual Vision’s perspective, the emphasis is on alignment with the day-to-day regulatory pressures facing smaller firms. Tim Bowen, CEO of Mutual Vision, commented: “Our customers and other small and mid-sized firms need screening and AML technology that is modern, explainable, easy to implement and aligned to the regulatory challenges they face every day. By powering MV Shield with Napier AI, we’re giving these firms the opportunity to adopt a Tier one grade solution that is a simple and affordable way to raise their compliance maturity.”

He added that the platform is designed to avoid the disruption typically associated with large-scale transformation projects: “This is also a solution that does not have the disruption or cost normally associated with major transformation projects. MV Shield is a sector-informed, preconfigured AML platform, not a generic tool, and it is designed around the unique processes and risk patterns of our customers.”

Cerberus Selects Behavox for AI-Native Comms Surveillance

Cerberus Capital Management has selected Behavox to support its communications surveillance programme, adding AI-driven monitoring across voice, chat and email as part of a broader compliance controls strategy.

The deployment centres on Behavox Quantum, an AI-native surveillance capability designed to operate across multiple communication channels and languages. Within Cerberus, it will sit alongside other elements of Behavox’s Unified Controls Framework, which brings together communications surveillance, trade surveillance, archiving and policy management into a single operating model. The emphasis is on improving the quality of alerts while reducing the operational burden associated with large volumes of false positives.

From Cerberus’ perspective, the evaluation focused on whether the technology could meet demanding internal standards around explainability, scalability and day-to-day effectiveness. As Andrew Kandel, Cerberus Chief Compliance Officer, noted: “We have seen the success Behavox has had over the past few years with explainable AI for compliance and driving operational efficiency for compliance teams by reducing false positives and identifying meaningful items for teams to review.” He added: “In evaluating the market, we were comfortable with Behavox’s approach and long-term roadmap at an affordable rate.”

Behavox points to this as part of a broader trend among large investment firms that are moving beyond basic surveillance coverage towards more transparent and defensible controls. Nabeel Ebrahim, Chief Revenue Officer at Behavox, said: “Cerberus’ emphasis on fundamentals of having effective, explainable and scalable detective controls was a key driver in their decision.” He added that Cerberus undertook a detailed assessment of the underlying AI to ensure it aligned with its compliance expectations.

In addition to technology, Cerberus is also making use of Behavox’s Alert Review Managed Services as an extension of its compliance function. The service combines Behavox’s AI with experienced reviewers to provide consistent alert handling, governance and oversight, with the aim of allowing in-house teams to focus on higher-value supervisory and strategic work rather than alert throughput.

Michael Talbert, Head of Professional Services at Behavox, framed the managed service element as an operational assurance layer rather than a pure outsourcing play: “Managed Services is about confidence and consistency. Cerberus wanted assurance that its surveillance program operates to a high standard every day, not just strong technology, but strong execution.”

Behavox also highlights that its large language models have been in live production for more than three years and have already been through internal audit reviews, regulatory examinations and model validation exercises. For firms such as Cerberus, this operational track record appears to be as important as the underlying AI capability, particularly as regulators continue to scrutinise how advanced analytics are embedded into surveillance and compliance frameworks.

Founded in 1992, Cerberus is a global alternative investment firm with approximately $70 billion in assets across credit, real estate and private equity strategies, investing across the capital structure with a focus on long-term value creation.

LSEG Launches Digital Settlement House for Instantaneous Cross-Network Settlements

LSEG has launched Digital Settlement House (LSEG DiSH), an open-access platform facilitating instantaneous settlement between independent payment networks, both on and off-chain. Utilising DiSH Cash – commercial bank deposits held on the DiSH ledger – the service enables the 24/7 movement of money across multiple currencies and jurisdictions. It supports Payment versus Payment (PvP) and Delivery versus Payment (DvP) models, providing a real cash leg for foreign exchange and digital asset transactions across traditional and digital infrastructures.

Operating within LSEG’s Post Trade Solutions business, the platform allows participants to orchestrate payments on any connected network. This capability unlocks trapped assets and optimises liquidity through new intraday borrowing and lending tools. By reducing settlement timelines, the service mitigates settlement risk and increases collateral availability. The launch follows a successful Proof of Concept with Digital Asset and a financial consortium on the Canton Network, which demonstrated the effective tokenisation and transfer of commercial bank deposits.

Integral Triples Infrastructure at Equinix Singapore to Meet Regional Demand

Integral, a currency technology provider, has tripled its infrastructure footprint at the Equinix SG1 data centre in Singapore. This expansion is a direct response to soaring regional demand and significantly increased transaction volumes, with the company now processing over one million tickets daily at the facility. To support this growth, Integral is utilising Equinix Fabric, a software-defined interconnection service, to establish private and direct connections with cloud service providers, key partners, and customers.

The expanded SG1 facility serves clients across the wider Asia-Pacific region, supporting the company’s robust growth and recent client partnerships. This investment in infrastructure ensures scalability and reliability, allowing Integral to manage higher system loads without compromising speed or performance. Alongside its Singapore operations, the company maintains infrastructure within Equinix facilities in London (LD3), New York (NY4), and Tokyo (TY4).

STP Investment Services Integrates Passthrough into BluePrint Platform

STP Investment Services has integrated Passthrough, a subscription automation platform, directly into its proprietary BluePrint ecosystem. This enhancement is designed to streamline the experience for fund managers and investors by reducing administrative friction and improving data accuracy. By embedding Passthrough’s technology, STP aims to accelerate the onboarding process for Limited Partners (LPs) while maintaining a fully connected operational environment.

The integration enables a seamless transition from investor subscription to ongoing servicing without leaving the BluePrint platform. Data collected through Passthrough’s digital workflows now populates directly into STP’s middle- and back-office systems, eliminating the need for manual reconciliation and redundant data entry. This creates a unified ecosystem that offers faster document exchange and greater process visibility for both General Partners (GPs) and LPs throughout the fund lifecycle.

Clearstream to Distribute Blackstone Private Market Strategies on its Fund Platform

Clearstream, the post-trade services provider of Deutsche Börse Group, is adding private market investment strategies from Blackstone to its platform. This initiative aims to broaden access to private market investments for individual investors by leveraging Clearstream’s network of over 300 distribution partners, which includes major global wealth managers with a significant presence in Europe and Asia. The collaboration is designed to simplify the operational complexities often associated with these funds, allowing wealth managers to distribute them to a wider client base at scale.

Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager with over USD $1.2 trillion in assets, offers opportunities across private equity, real estate, private credit, and infrastructure. To support this, Clearstream provides a suite of services covering order routing via its Vestima platform, settlement, and asset servicing, alongside frameworks for KYC and distribution oversight.

SimCorp Offers Iteration of Axioma Analytics Suite for Frequent Rebalancing

SimCorp has created its Axioma Worldwide Equity Factor Risk Model: Trading Horizon, which enables forecasts risk over a twenty-day period and provides daily updates on factor exposures for strategies requiring frequent rebalancing.

The new iteration of the finance technology giant’s analytics suite incorporates style factors such as short interest and opinion divergence to track liquidity and volatility across global markets.

SimCorp said the model’s release comes at a “critical time” after AI-related trades exaggerated momentum and liquidity risks and as trade spats are distorting currency movements.

“Markets are moving faster than ever, and traditional risk models often fail to capture short-term dynamics,” Ian Lumb, head of analytics product management, said at the launch.

Investors use the model as a leading indicator for rebalancing decisions and for understanding risk sources during volatile periods, Lumb added.

The software allows users to quantify exchange-rate sensitivity and monitor momentum to manage effects from tariff disputes or sector rotations. Equity factor risk models are mathematical tools used by financial institutions to identify and quantify the drivers of return and risk within stock portfolios.