tanX Achieves $1 Billion Quarterly Spot Trading Volume

Dubai-based digital asset trading platform tanX reported a significant milestone in Q2 2024, processing $1 billion in spot trading volume across 3 million transactions, reflecting a 70% increase from the previous quarter. The platform’s success is set against a backdrop of rising interest in decentralised trading solutions, particularly in the wake of FTX’s collapse, which has driven traders towards non-custodial and safer methods of executing trades and storing assets.

tanX, operating as a decentralised exchange (DEX) on Ethereum, emphasises compliance, regulation, and transparency, catering to institutional clients through specialised liquidity lines. tanX bridges the two models of decentralised and centralised exchanges (CEXs), allowing CEXs to integrate its non-custodial trading solutions while maintaining their existing user experience, underscoring the platform’s innovative approach in a regulatory stringent environment.

Baton Systems Adds JSCC to CCP Network

Baton Systems has achieved successful bi-directional integration with the Japanese Securities Clearing Corporation (JSCC) via its Core-Collateral ecosystem. The integration allows JSCC’s Clearing Member clients to directly access APAC’s largest central counterparty (CCP), enhancing efficiency by providing normalised data and real-time balance updates. The addition of JSCC complements existing integrations, including SGX, expanding Baton’s network to thirteen CCPs, handling 95% of global initial margin.

Baton’s Core-Collateral platform automates the movement of cash and securities, offering users consolidated and real-time updates on margin requirements and collateral eligibility. The integration of collateral eligibility data into Baton’s API further streamlines the management process by enabling automated, real-time determinations of eligible assets. This reducing operational burdens, improving decision-making, and enhancing financial efficiency and net interest income for firms, according to the company.

Tucker Dona, Head of Business Development and Client Success at Baton Systems, commented: “The addition of JSCC to the Baton Core-Collateral ecosystem is a big step to increasing access to the most strategically important CCPs for our clients. As a result, we are able to assist more FCMs and Clearing Members globally to automate and optimise a significant proportion of their collateral holdings. This is incredibly important in helping these firms reduce dependency on manual processes and optimise collateral management at a time when market volatility and a higher interest rate environment place growing pressure on the margin posting process.”

NeoXam Provides GP4 Solution to French Fund Administrator

French fund administrator FB Fund Services will integrate financial software specialist NeoXam’s GP4 product to administer its investment valuation, accounting, reporting, and auditing processes.

The unit of private equity group 123 Investment Managers (123IM) will deploy GP4 to monitor bookkeeping in real time, improve workflow automation and seamlessly integrate key data sources, Paris-based NeoXam said in a statement.

GP4 is designed to streamline back-office operations and is managed by NeoXam on behalf of clients. Its integration by FB Fund Services is expected to “reduce the long-term total cost of ownership and risk of its data operations and maintenance”, the statement said.

NeoXam’s software and technology helps clients process more than US$20 trillion-worth of assets every day for its 15,000-plus users.

valantic FSA Partners with Nasdaq to Develop Nasdaq Rates Trader for Nordic and Baltic Markets

valantic FSA, the electronic trading and automation solutions provider, has announced a partnership with Nasdaq to develop Nasdaq Rates Trader, a new web-based user interface for Nasdaq’s Nordic and Baltic fixed income markets. The interface will offer access to Nasdaq’s data and trading functionalities through a modern and intuitive front-end.

Key features include advanced data visualisation and customisable workspaces. The beta testing phase for the new UI is scheduled to begin in February 2025, with a full launch planned for October 2025.

Horizon Trading Solutions Launches Mutualised Hosting Services in Partnership with TNS

Electronic trading and algorithmic technology provider Horizon Trading Solutions has partnered with financial market infrastructure vendor Transaction Network Services (TNS), to launch its new mutualised hosting services.

The collaboration allows Horizon to utilise TNS’ robust hosting and hardware solutions as a colocation provider, enabling on-premise services at the Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX) data centre for multiple clients. This partnership aims to enhance Horizon’s service capabilities, offering clients reduced latency and improved time to market at competitive prices.

TNS, with its extensive experience in the Asia Pacific financial markets and partnerships with key institutions like HKEX, SGX, and JPX, aims to provide traders quick access to these markets with lower total ownership costs. This expansion reinforces the company’s commitment to the region, while strengthening Horizon’s service offerings.

Abaxx Commodity Futures Exchange Adopts ION’s XTP Technology for Energy Transition Markets

The Abaxx Commodity Futures Exchange and Clearinghouse has selected ION’s XTP technology to support its new market initiatives aimed at the ongoing energy transition. The Abaxx Exchange, which commenced trading in Singapore on 28 June, has collaborated with ION to deliver secure and scalable post-trade clearing and risk management solutions.

The Abaxx Exchange introduces five new centrally cleared, physically deliverable commodity futures contracts, enhancing market participants’ ability to manage energy transition strategies with improved price discovery and risk management tools. These contracts aim to establish benchmarks for global LNG and voluntary carbon markets, with future plans to include battery metals.

ION’s XTP technology is used by exchange clearing members, providing functionalities such as real-time position valuations, margining, and commission calculations. It also facilitates end-of-day processes including settlement calculations and report generation, ensuring robust support for the exchange’s operations.

DSB Publishes Stakeholder Feedback Report on ISIN, CFI and UPI

The latest report making recommendations for standards for identifying, classifying and describing over-the-counter derivatives has been published by the body charged with bringing order to the naming of the securities.

The Derivatives Service Bureau (DSB) said its Industry Consultation Final Report summarises feedback from industry stakeholders on the OTC International Securities Identification Number (ISIN), the Classification Financial Instrument code (CFI) and the UPI service provision.

This year’s report, the DSB’s seventh on the topic, focuses on proposed automation enhancements, data leakage prevention and data labelling for the US$20 trillion-plus derivatives market.

·     DSB managing director Emma Kalliomaki will be among speakers at A-Team Group Data Management Insight’s next webinar on Thursday, which will take a deep dive into how financial institutions can optimise their use of identifiers and standards. Click here to register for the event.

AIA Group Adopts Investment Tech from BlackRock and BNY

AIA Group has incorporated BlackRock’s investment platform Aladdin with BNY’s data management services to administer the Asia-focused life insurer’s investment programme.

The move represents a transformation of the insurer’s end-to-end investment processes, echoing a broader trend towards the outsourcing of data management services by asset managers and owners.

The company said the collaboration with Aladdin and BNY “will provide AIA with an end-to-end solution, empowering the group’s investment professionals with enhanced data and analytics capability, and more robust risk management tools”.

Asset managers are increasingly seeking third-party expertise as the complexity of their data management requirements have intensified, according to recent surveys. This has been driven by the adoption of multi-asset investment strategies to navigate growing market volatility and to comply with emerging regulations.

AIA Group chief investment officer Mark Konyn said that the insurer “will gain a single, consistent, and timely view across all asset classes allowing us to make even more informed investments across complex market environments”.

Bridgewise Brings AI-Powered Analytics to ETFs, Fund Space

AI-powered investment analysis platform Bridgewise has launched a research platform it says will close the gap in exchange-traded fund (ETF) and mutual fund analyses.

The service will offer financial clients deep intel into ETF and fund performance, including that of their underlying assets, the company said. Bridgewise has deployed machine learning and micro-language models (MLMs) to enable detailed analysis of all aspects of the funds industry.

The company, which provides analyses to more than 50 financial institutions globally, said the new service has been developed amid growing demand for information on the ETF sector. Researcher ETFGI said inflows into ETFs climbed almost 11% in the past year to almost US$13 trillion.

The product launch coincided with the appointment of ETFGI founder and managing partner Deborah Fuhr to the Bridgewise advisory board.

Bridgewise co-founder and chief executive Gaby Diamant said the huge demand for insights into ETFs and mutual funds would be beyond the capabilities of traditional research processes.

“Until now, fund analysts have faced a daunting challenge – there is no way for a human to provide a detailed fundamental analysis on each and every asset in popular funds, especially when some funds are composed of thousands of individual stocks,” Diamant said “The time it would take to complete such an analysis would quickly stretch to a full year or more. Our AI technologies not only allow for a previously unobtainable level of depth of fund analysis, but also nearly universal coverage of funds.

”Within the platform, clients will be able to access holdings analysis, intel on alternatives such as private equity, buy-sell recommendations, category indicators and asset discovery features.

Alternatives Data Service Firm Canoe Raises $36m in New Funding

Canoe Intelligence has raised US$36 million in a Series C round to help the alternatives market technology company build out its artificial intelligence-supported fund master database services.

The fundraising was led by Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives. F-Prime Capital and Eight Roads, which contributed to a previous cash injection last year, also joined the latest round.

Canoe Intelligence was launched in 2018 with the claim that it would be the first technology company in the world to transform unstructured data from alternative investment documents into standardised information that investors could integrate easily into their systems.

The New York-based company uses machine learning and other AI technology to scan publications and documents for use by its 325 clients, which comprise institutional investors, capital allocators, wealth managers, family offices and asset servicing firms. Alternatives, including private equity and credit markets, account for $22 trillion of assets worldwide, about 15% of all assets globally, and roughly a third of all institutional holdings.

“With the additional capital, we will continue to advance the alts industry by building innovative AI and machine learning technology, delivering comprehensive back-to-front office solutions, maintaining our commitment to data integrity and, most importantly, creating value for our clients,” said chief executive Jason Eiswerth.

Canoe Intelligence says that since its Series B funding round in February 2023 it has doubled growth in both the number of clients and revenue. It oversees the alternative data management needs of more than 1,000 limited partners across 650,000-plus commitments and subscriptions to in excess of 42,000 funds.