TradingTech Insight Brief
DTCC Unveils Digital Collateral Management Platform
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has introduced a new digital collateral management platform, marking a significant development in post-trade infrastructure. The platform will be showcased during a live event titled “The Great Collateral Experiment” on 23 April. This initiative is the first demonstration hosted on DTCC’s digital ecosystem, DTCC Digital Launchpad, which launched in October 2024.
Built on the DTCC AppChain using LF Decentralized Trust’s Besu blockchain, the platform aims to improve collateral mobility, capital efficiency, and liquidity. It supports the integration of traditional and digital assets and enables an open digital liquidity ecosystem. The system provides participants with enhanced privacy, security, and control through the DTCC ComposerX framework, offering a scalable, standardised solution to meet the evolving needs of global financial markets.
BlockFills Partners with Fordefi to Expand DeFi Trading Access and Token Coverage
BlockFills, the digital asset trading platform for institutions and professional traders, has partnered with Fordefi, a self-custody MPC wallet provider. The collaboration allows BlockFills to utilise Fordefi’s secure wallet infrastructure to broaden its token offering and respond to increased client demand for decentralised finance (DeFi) trading opportunities. Fordefi supports access to thousands of digital applications across over 90 blockchain networks, including major platforms such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
Through the partnership, Fordefi’s clients, including venture capital firms and the DeFi community, gain access to BlockFills’ full suite of trading services across a wide array of digital assets. Fordefi’s MPC wallet technology enhances security by splitting private keys across multiple parties, preventing single-point control. Its proprietary browser extension further secures the transaction process by protecting the entire technology stack from end to end.
Zema Global Acquires cQuant.io to Strengthen Advanced Analytics Capabilities in Energy and Commodities
Zema Global,thea data management and analytics provider for the energy, commodities, and financial sectors, has acquired cQuant.io, a specialist in analytic solutions for energy and commodity companies. The acquisition, backed by investor FTV Capital, enhances Zema Global’s offering by integrating cQuant.io’s advanced analytics platform with its own enterprise data management solutions. This combined capability aims to improve decision-making speed and accuracy for clients operating in complex and volatile markets.
As part of the deal, cQuant.io will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary under the brand “A Zema Global Company,” with its former CEO David Leevan taking on the role of President at Zema Global. The partnership expands Zema Global’s global analytics team and deepens its capabilities in areas such as quantitative modelling, asset valuation, and renewable forecasting. The move reinforces the company’s strategy to provide seamless, real-time insights for global operations.
Euroclear Bank Enhances Collateral Management with Taskize Integration
Euroclear Bank’s Collateral Management Services has adopted Taskize, the platform for investment operations collaboration, to streamline query resolution. The integration with Taskize, along with its support for email and Symphony Messaging, aims to simplify communication across various technologies, and improve efficiency in managing collateral-related tasks.
Taskize creates a unified ecosystem where stakeholders can exchange information, negotiate, and finalise deals in real time. This integration enables front-office traders and other users to maintain updated collateral sets and adjust workflows to suit counterparty preferences with fewer resources. Communication is continuous and centralised, involving both Euroclear as the tri-party agent and trading counterparties through Symphony Messaging integration.
ION to Support Day-One Connectivity to MIAX Futures’ New Onyx Platform
ION is to provide seamless, day-one connectivity to MIAX Futures’ new matching engine, Onyx, as the exchange transitions its Minneapolis Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) Futures from CME Globex in Q2 2025. This support ensures that users of ION’s cleared derivatives front-office trading platform will have immediate access to execution and clearing services on the new system.
Additionally, ION will enable trading of MIAX Futures’ upcoming Bloomberg 500 (B500) Index futures, anticipated for launch in the second half of 2025, subject to regulatory approval by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Onyx, developed using proprietary MIAX technology, is designed to power trading in both agricultural and financial futures and options across various markets.
Cboe Clear Europe Launches Central Clearing for European Securities Financing Transactions
Cboe Global Markets has announced that Cboe Clear Europe has begun clearing European Securities Financing Transactions (SFTs), marking a significant step in its strategy to expand as a multi-asset class clearing house. The initial cleared trades involved Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking as Principal Lender and JP Morgan as Borrower. This new service transitions SFTs in European equities and ETFs from a bilateral to a centrally cleared model, aiming to improve capital efficiency and support market growth.
The platform leverages the infrastructure of Cboe Clear Europe, the largest pan-European cash equities clearing house. Key features include the use of BNY and JP Morgan as Tri-Party Collateral Agents and Pirum for trade instruction management. The service covers settlement across 19 European CSDs and is designed to reduce capital burdens under regulations such as CSDR, SFTR, and Basel IV. Additional benefits include cross-margining efficiencies, streamlined settlement, and enhanced operational practices.
Quincy Data Launches Ultra-Low Latency Transatlantic Signal Feeds for CME Market Data
Quincy Data has launched new Transatlantic Signal Feeds delivering critical CME market data to London, Frankfurt, and Mumbai. The service is designed to provide real-time insights into major trade events for CME futures instruments, with a one-way latency of under 24 milliseconds from Aurora, Illinois to the Slough-LD4 data centre in the UK. This positions Quincy’s service as one of the fastest available for global price discovery.
Quincy Data categorises its offerings into three types: Snapshot Feeds for normalised global data distribution, Raw Feeds optimised for high-capacity wireless use, and Signal Feeds focused on speed for remote market access. All services are offered on an equal-access basis, maintaining fairness for all subscribers.
S&P Capital IQ Pro Integrates Visible Alpha Data to Enhance Financial Insights and Forecasting
S&P Global Market Intelligence has announced a significant update to its S&P Capital IQ Pro platform, now integrating Visible Alpha’s historical financials and consensus estimates as an add-on feature. The integration provides access to detailed financial data from over 7,300 companies and more than 1 million line items contributed by over 200 analysts. Users can explore in-depth KPI, income statement, segment, balance sheet and cash flow data across 170+ industries, supported by enhanced search and peer analysis capabilities.
Additional platform enhancements include the introduction of private company headcount data for over 4.3 million firms, expanded valuation data for private M&A deals and funding rounds, and broader content sets within Document Intelligence for deeper analytical insights.
Acquired by S&P Global in May 2024, Visible Alpha’s proprietary analyst-derived content is now fully embedded within the S&P ecosystem, following prior integrations with S&P Global Marketplace and cloud delivery channels.
TNS Launches Services in Zurich’s Equinix ZH4 to Expand European Exchange Connectivity
Transaction Network Services (TNS) has extended its European presence by launching services in the Equinix ZH4 colocation data centre in Zurich, providing managed hosting and ultra-low latency Layer 1 connectivity to the SIX Swiss Exchange, and supporting access to Swiss equities and derivatives markets for both market data and order entry.
Located on Josefstrasse in central Zurich, Equinix ZH4 offers strategic proximity to the banking district, enhancing connectivity for TNS’ clients, including market data vendors and exchange members. This deployment complements TNS’ existing services across major European hubs such as London and Frankfurt.
As part of its broader European expansion, TNS also provides colocation services within other key data centres, including those of BME, CBOE Europe, Deutsche Boerse, Euronext, LME, Nasdaq Nordic and LSE. TNS delivers these services as a registered data vendor and application service provider with SIX, offering a cost-effective alternative to in-house infrastructure management.
LDA Technologies Unveils VeloCT Cabling Ecosystem, Slashing Layer 1 Latency by up to 10x
LDA Technologies has launched VeloCT, a new plug-and-play cabling ecosystem that delivers a tenfold reduction in trade data distribution latency, achieving one-way latency of just 0.5 nanoseconds—down from the typical 4-5ns with standard Layer 1 devices. This breakthrough enables firms in latency-sensitive environments to replace Layer 1 switches while maintaining data duplication and monitoring capabilities.
VeloCT combines ultra-low latency fan-out modules, twinax copper cables, and modular transceivers to offer a flexible, cost-effective alternative to conventional networking setups. The chassis supports up to 22 modules and includes compact 1-to-4 and 1-to-8 link splitters, specialised cables that reduce latency by 0.6ns per metre, and support for SFP, QSFP, and QSFP-DD interfaces. The system also removes the need for separate tap devices by duplicating outgoing data streams, allowing precise packet analysis with minimal infrastructure.