TradingTech Insight Brief
Euroclear Invests in Blockchain-Based Funds Marketplace IZNES
Euroclear has made a strategic investment in IZNES, a blockchain-based pan-European funds marketplace, aiming to enhance its Euroclear FundsPlace suite. The collaboration, pending customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, will leverage IZNES’s technology and various distribution channels to address the landscape of European funds subscriptions and redemptions.
Founded in 2017, IZNES operates a platform designed to streamline the funds subscription process, offering increased transparency and an enhanced customer experience for management companies and institutional investors. The investment follows Euroclear’s previous acquisitions of MFEX in 2021 and Goji in 2023, underscoring its commitment to revolutionizing funds distribution through innovative solutions in France and across Europe.
Kasikorn Securities Selects ICE’s Portfolio Analytics for Enhanced Derivatives Management
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE) has announced that Kasikorn Securities, under the Kasikorn Bank Group of Thailand, has selected ICE’s Portfolio Analytics-Derivatives for its derivatives management needs. The deal will provide Kasikorn Securities with ICE’s derivatives solution for pre-trade pricing, analytics, and post-trade risk management, which will be integrated into their Kasikorn’s OMS.
By leveraging ICE’s analytics application, Kasikorn Securities aims to enhance its capabilities in price discovery, decision support, and risk assessment across various asset classes and instruments.
Zayo Launches Waves on Demand Service Across Europe
Zayo Group, the global provider of fibre network infrastructure, has launched a new Waves on Demand service, providing bandwidth accessibility throughout Europe via its 400G-enabled lit-fibre network. The new service guarantees service activation within just five working days, a significant improvement over the standard 30+ day industry timeframe.
Utilising Ciena’s WaveLogic 5 technology, Waves on Demand allows for rapid scaling of bandwidth with capacities up to 800G on dedicated circuits. Initially available in major European connectivity hubs, including Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, and Paris, Zayo plans to extend the service to Dublin, Manchester, and Milan by year-end.
CJC Achieves Cyber Essentials Certification, Enhancing ICT Defence Capabilities
Crown Jewels Consultants (CJC), the market data consultancy and professional services provider, has attained the Cyber Essentials certification, underscoring its commitment to robust cyber defence mechanisms. CJC was assessed to have met the Cyber Essentials implementation profile, with ICT defences deemed satisfactory against a commodity-based cyber-attack.
The UK government-backed certification aligns with the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which aims to bolster the digital resilience of financial entities and their vital infrastructure against cyber risks. The certification process encompassed several critical areas, including secure configuration, access control, malware protection, patch management, and incident response.
ANZ Partners with CobaltFX for Enhanced FX Credit Management
The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) has integrated CobaltFX’s Dynamic Credit platform to manage its FX trade credit exposure management across interbank trading venues. The move underscores ANZ’s commitment to adopting innovative, real-time solutions for FX credit management that centralise and optimise the distribution of credit across multiple trading venues from a single, global limit.
The partnership with CobaltFX, a United Fintech company specialising in automated pre and post-trade infrastructure, not only eliminates the need for credit carve-outs but also enhances market access for ANZ, offering significant benefits to its customers, counterparties, and the bank itself by reducing credit usage and operational risks while improving liquidity access.
Sigma Broking Expands Partnership with ION to Utilize XTP Execution Suite for LME Trading
ION, the solutions vendor for capital markets, commodities, and treasury management, has extended its partnership with international brokerage firm Sigma Broking. Sigma will now deploy ION’s XTP Execution (XTP-E) suite, enhancing its capability to trade listed derivatives on the London Metal Exchange (LME).
Sigma Broking, offering broking and execution services across various financial markets, provides its institutional customers with access to various exchanges and products, including tailored hedging strategies and execution services. The use of ION’s XTP-E suite is set to bolster Sigma’s front-office execution capabilities, further solidifying its status among the LME’s Category 1 Ring Dealing members, and supporting its strategic objectives in commodities trading and risk management.
Sterling Trading Tech Expands into Asia
Sterling Trading Tech (STT), the independent OMS, risk and trading platform vendor, has unveiled its strategic expansion into Asia for 2024, targeting the key financial hubs of Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. This initiative is driven by the demand for more sophisticated OMS and Risk solutions in Asia, and will cater to the needs of local and cross-border clients, particularly those operating in the US.
STT’s multi-asset OMS is designed for firms trading in US equities and options, offering features such as real-time balances, advanced margin methods, customisable risk controls, API connectivity and international order processing beyond US trading hours.
FlexTrade Integrates with Coinbase Prime for Enhanced Digital Asset Trading
FlexTrade Systems, the multi-asset execution and order management systems provider, has announced its integration with Coinbase Prime, a prime broker platform for digital and crypto assets. This collaboration allows FlexTrade’s clients to access a significant liquidity pool for digital assets through its FlexTRADER EMS and FlexONE OEMS.
The integration offers users seamless connectivity, a consolidated view of market depth, and streamlined order placement within the FlexTRADER and FlexONE platforms. The move is part of FlexTrade’s ongoing efforts to expand its digital asset trading capabilities, providing institutional-grade trading, compliance, and analytics across the digital asset and cryptocurrency markets.
Imandra Achieves ISO 27001 Certification, Strengthening Its Position in Financial AI Solutions
Imandra, a startup in the field of automated reasoning for financial and safety-critical software systems, has been awarded the ISO 27001 certification, underscoring the company’s commitment to the highest standards of information security and data privacy. The certification recognises the company’s adherence to the international standards for cybersecurity, through the establishment of a robust Information Security Management System (ISMS).
Imandra’s flagship product, Imandra Markets, now oversees around 25% of all European equities trading. By offering advanced AI-powered services for the design, testing, and auditing of complex financial systems, Imandra enhances business intelligence and system resiliency for exchanges and trading venues.
QuantCube Technology Launches Advanced Agricultural Yield Forecasts for Key Commodities
QuantCube Technology, specialists in alternative macroeconomic data, has introduced a series of four QuantCube Agricultural Yield Forecasts, offering early estimates for corn, soybean, wheat, and rice yields on regional, national, and global scales. Utilising proprietary models together with agricultural expertise, these forecasts provide daily yield predictions four months ahead of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) forecasts, with an average accuracy of 92%,
Quantcube’s approach leverages real-time meteorological data with the company’s own Vegetation Index, which provides an accurate view of the overall wellness of key crop groups throughout their development. Aimed at financial institutions, commodity traders, and governmental bodies, QuantCube’s coverage now extends to over 20 countries.