TradingTech Insight Brief
Athena Integrates BTON Financial’s AI Trader Co-Pilot
Athena, part of United Fintech, and BTON Financial have announced a strategic integration, incorporating BTON’s AI-powered Trader Co-Pilot into Athena’s Order Management System/Portfolio Management System (OMS/PMS). The integration aims to transform trading decision-making across various financial sectors, including institutional asset managers, hedge funds, banks, and family offices. The development facilitates a more streamlined and efficient process, allowing traders to set order parameters and utilise advanced algorithms with a single click.
The collaboration between Athena and BTON Financial is designed to offer a seamless, scalable solution that leverages artificial intelligence and data-driven trading tools to optimise trading strategies without the need for extensive setup or training.
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management Adopts DTCC’s ITP Services to Support U.S. T+1 Settlement Transition
DTCC has announced that Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management is utilising its Institutional Trade Processing (ITP) services to enhance trade processing efficiency ahead of the U.S. financial market’s transition to a T+1 settlement cycle on May 28, 2024. The suite includes DTCC’s CTM for central matching, M2i workflow, TradeSuite ID, ALERT, and Settlement Instruction Manager, aiming to fully automate post-trade processes and achieve same-day affirmation (SDA) for APAC region cross-border transactions.
By automating allocation, confirmation, and affirmation, CTM’s M2i workflow and associated services facilitate direct, automated trade affirmations and instruction deliveries for settlement via the U.S. depository, significantly streamlining the management and finality of trade lifecycles. This strategic implementation by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management is designed to enhance transaction efficiency and support the broader industry goals of reduced settlement times.
McKay Brothers International Launches Ultra-Low Latency Bandwidth Service Between London and Stockholm
McKay Brothers International (MBI), the low-latency networking specialist, has unveiled a new bandwidth service providing the lowest latency connection between London’s LD4 data centre and Stockholm’s Stack STO01 data centre. The hybrid wireless-fibre route claims to achieve data transmission speeds that are hundreds of microseconds quicker than existing services, enhancing connectivity for major trading platforms like Cboe Europe in London and Nasdaq-OMX in Stockholm.
MBI, known for its extensive European ultra-low latency wireless network, connects key financial centres across the continent, including Frankfurt, Bergamo, and Madrid, and offers specialised market data services from exchanges such as Eurex and CME. This strategic expansion aims to support high-frequency trading firms, banks, and hedge funds with faster and more reliable data exchange capabilities.
Adaptive Financial Consulting Partners with KCx to Launch New Event-Driven Trading System
Adaptive Financial Consulting (Adaptive) has entered into a strategic partnership with Kepler Cheuvreux’s execution division, KCx, to develop an advanced event-driven trading system utilising Adaptive’s Hydra technology and Aeron, its cloud-native messaging infrastructure for capital markets. The new system aims to enhance KCx’s equities execution platform by integrating a sequencer-based architecture that improves algorithmic trading and simplifies client interactions through a unified interface.
The initiative, marking the first phase of a broader innovation strategy, is designed to boost the firm’s market presence by offering scalable and sophisticated trading solutions across different asset classes. The technology, supporting on-premise and potential future cloud-based operations via AWS, also allows for remote functional testing to meet client performance expectations at launch.
R3 and Quant Selected to Develop Prototype for UK’s Regulated Liability Network
R3 and Quant have been chosen to create the technology prototype for the UK’s Regulated Liability Network (RLN) experimentation phase, an initiative led by UK Finance and supported by EY. This project aims to establish a unified platform facilitating various financial transactions using tokenised and traditional commercial bank deposits. The RLN will serve as a central innovation hub for digital transactions, with confirmed participants including Barclays, HSBC, Citi and Visa, among others. R3 will leverage its Corda platform for shared ledger capabilities, while Quant will enhance money interoperability through its Overledger platform.
The collaboration underscores the strategic aims of R3 and Quant in addressing the complexities of regulated financial environments through advanced ledger and API technologies. The prototype will explore multiple use cases across retail and wholesale payments, including ecommerce and bond issuance, supported by technology partners such as DXC Technology and Coadjute.
Central Asian Stock Exchange Implements QUIK Software from ARQA Technologies
The Central Asian Stock Exchange (CASE) in collaboration with ARQA Technologies, has successfully implemented QUIK software, significantly upgrading its trading platform in Tajikistan. ARQA Technologies was chosen through a competitive tender to replace the existing platform. The new system now serves as the matching backbone for CASE, handling client instructions, market data distribution, and pre-trade risk management.
The QUIK software, implemented within three months, is also used for primary public debt placements in Tajikistan, with plans to expand into secondary bond markets and other securities sectors in the future.
DSB Announces 2024 Consultation Schedule for OTC Derivatives Reference Data Services
The Derivatives Service Bureau (DSB) has outlined its 2024 consultation plan focusing on the OTC International Securities Identification Number (ISIN), Unique Product Identifier (UPI), and Classification Financial Instrument (CFI) services. The consultation paper will be released on 30 April 2024, allowing for feedback until 31 May 2024, and concluding with a Final Report on 16 July 2024.
For the first time, the consultation will include the new UPI services. Key topics will include user type functionality, the Traded on a Trading Venue (ToTV) Service; and fair cost apportionment across service provisions. The consultation, in conjunction with the ongoing complementary work of the DSB industry representation groups, aims to align DSB services with evolving market practices, technological advancements, and regulatory demands.
Cboe Clear Europe Announces Major Support for Launch of Securities Financing Transactions Clearing Service
Cboe Clear Europe, the Amsterdam-based pan-European clearing house, has announced that Bank of America and State Street are among the latest to support its forthcoming Central Counterparty (CCP) clearing service for securities financing transactions (SFTs), with the service expected to launch in Q3 2024, pending regulatory approval. This new commitment expands the initial group to nine participants, including prominent banks, clearing firms, asset managers, and custodians, aiming to enhance the efficiency and risk management of SFTs in European cash equities and ETFs.
The service, which addresses the regulatory and operational challenges posed by Basel III and IV frameworks, aims to mitigate capital demands and credit risks by providing a streamlined clearing and settlement process. It is designed to reduce risk-weighted assets for clients, improve settlement efficiency, and support the growth and operational practices within the European SFT market.
Bloomberg Secures Contracts to Provide Electronic Trading Platforms to ECB and Other Eurosystem Central Banks
Bloomberg has been awarded three significant framework agreements with the European Central Bank (ECB) and other National Central Banks within the Eurosystem for the supply of Electronic Trading Platforms (ETPs) for trading in government bonds denominated in Euro, USD and JPY, alongside USD and JPY Interest Rate Swaps, and futures contracts.
Bloomberg’s Netherlands-based Multilateral Trading Facility (MTF), BTFE, will host any trades, with futures trading supported by Bloomberg’s Tradebook ISV and its EMSX execution management system.
Euronext Completes Migration of Italian Derivatives Trading to Optiq, Finalising Borsa Italiana Integration
Euronext has announced the successful migration of Italian derivatives trading to its advanced trading platform, Optiq, marking the completion of Borsa Italiana’s markets integration into Euronext’s infrastructure. This milestone, achieved less than three years following the acquisition of the Borsa Italiana Group, is a critical component of the “Growth for Impact 2024” strategic plan, aiming to consolidate a unified liquidity pool and technology platform across Euronext markets.
The transition not only promises enhanced market efficiency and accessibility for investors and issuers but also aligns with Euronext’s objective to become Europe’s premier listing and trading venue. Looking ahead, Euronext is poised to fulfil the final goal of its strategic plan by extending Euronext Clearing to its listed financial and commodities derivatives by Q3 2024, anticipating significant synergies by the year’s end.