TradingTech Insight Brief
Wedbush Securities Launches 24-Hour Trading via Strategic ATS Partnerships
Wedbush Securities has introduced 24-hour trading capabilities, allowing clients to access U.S. and OTC markets throughout all trading sessions. This new offering is powered by partnerships with Blue Ocean Technologies and OTC Markets Group, enabling seamless trading during overnight, pre-market, core, and post-market hours. The initiative particularly supports investors in Asia-Pacific regions, aligning with their local trading times.
The service integrates three alternative trading systems – Blue Ocean ATS, MOON ATS, and OTC Overnight – to provide comprehensive overnight access from 8:00 PM to 4:00 AM Eastern Time. Blue Ocean ATS and MOON ATS facilitate trading in U.S.-listed securities, while OTC Overnight extends access to OTC equities. The platform supports both high- and low-touch routing and includes expert execution services across all hours.
Northern Trust to Trial Carbon Credit Tokenisation in Australia’s Project Acacia
Northern Trust will participate in Australia’s Project Acacia to test the interoperability of tokenised carbon credit transactions with traditional bank payments. The bank plans to demonstrate the simultaneous settlement of a carbon credit token transfer and a conventional payment using its blockchain-based Northern Trust Carbon Ecosystem. This simulation will be conducted in collaboration with Swift.
Project Acacia is led by the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Centre (DFCRC) to explore various forms of tokenised money and assets, including wholesale CBDCs, tokenised deposits, and stablecoins. Northern Trust’s involvement underscores its ongoing commitment to digital finance initiatives, having previously contributed to blockchain projects in Singapore and Hong Kong. The firm is also a founding shareholder in Zodia Custody and manages $17 trillion in assets under custody.
Panmure Liberum and Nedbank CIB Form Strategic Equity Capital Markets Partnership
Panmure Liberum and Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) have announced a strategic partnership focused on equity capital markets. This collaboration unites two leading investment banks from the UK and South Africa, enhancing their collective capabilities in equity research, corporate advisory, and trading across their respective regions. The agreement will deliver co-branded research covering both markets and support dual-listed companies in the UK and South Africa.
The trading arrangement enhances access to capital across South African and Pan European markets. Panmure Liberum will act as Nedbank CIB’s preferred execution partner for UK and European equities, aligning with new South African regulations that expand overseas investment options for asset managers. In return, Nedbank CIB will handle execution for Panmure Liberum’s South African equities. This partnership follows Panmure Liberum’s similar ventures in Asia and Australia, supporting its strategy to expand global reach and investor access.
Standard Chartered Launches Institutional Crypto Trading Platform with Spot Bitcoin and Ether Services
Standard Chartered has introduced a fully integrated digital assets trading service for institutional clients, marking a significant step in its digital finance offerings. Following the earlier launch of its custody service, the bank now offers spot trading for Bitcoin (XBT/USD) and Ether (XET/USD) via its UK branch, with non-deliverable forwards (NDFs) trading to be added soon. This makes it the first globally systemically important bank to provide deliverable spot cryptoasset trading to institutional investors, corporates, and asset managers.
The service is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing FX platforms, enabling clients to trade digital assets through familiar systems while choosing their preferred custody solution, including Standard Chartered’s own. As a UK FCA-registered cryptoasset service provider, the bank offers clients the reliability of a regulated institution with strong risk controls and a robust financial base. This launch expands Standard Chartered’s digital asset capabilities across trading, custody, and tokenisation.
SDX and Banque Pictet Complete Pilot Tokenising Corporate Bonds for Asset Management Portfolios
SDX, part of SIX, and Banque Pictet & Cie SA have completed a joint pilot project that successfully tokenised corporate debt instruments and allocated fractional amounts to portfolios managed by Pictet Asset Management SA. The initiative focused on EUR- and CHF-denominated corporate bonds, which were held in custody at SIX SIS and tokenised on the SDX platform. These tokenised bonds were then distributed in fractional units to investor portfolios, allowing for greater customisation and operational efficiency than traditional methods.
The pilot demonstrates the practical benefits of digital securities in mutual fund management, such as automated rebalancing, smaller investment sizes, and enhanced diversification. By enabling tailored strategies and broader access to asset classes like corporate bonds, the collaboration highlights the potential of tokenisation to transform the asset management industry through scalable, flexible digital infrastructure.
TNS Adds Bruce ATS Market Data Connectivity to Enhance 24×5 US Equities Trading Access
Transaction Network Services (TNS) has expanded its 24×5 US equities trading capabilities by adding market data connectivity to Bruce ATS, the overnight trading venue operated by Bruce Markets LLC. Through its secure, low-latency infrastructure, TNS now delivers Bruce ATS market data globally, supporting firms trading US equities during Asian market hours and reinforcing its commitment to global market access.
The move enhances TNS’ overnight trading offerings, which already include connectivity to venues like Blue Ocean ATS. Bruce ATS uses Nasdaq’s market technology and is actively growing its reach by partnering with firms like TNS that have established retail broker relationships. TNS’ global backbone and 24x7x365 support model provide trading firms with the reliable access and infrastructure required for continuous trading outside traditional US exchange hours.
Bloomberg and Clearwater Partner to Launch Integrated Front-to-Back Investment Solution
Bloomberg and Clearwater Analytics have announced a strategic collaboration to introduce a modular front-to-back investment solution tailored for asset managers and asset owners. This partnership aims to deliver a comprehensive operating model that enhances scalability, efficiency, and risk management across the investment lifecycle.
The integrated solution combines Bloomberg’s enterprise capabilities – including order and portfolio management, performance analytics, and OTC tools – with Clearwater’s platform for accounting, data aggregation, and reporting. Key features include turnkey managed integration, enhanced OTC management, synchronised cash management, and consistent trade data exchange, promising clients a seamless and transparent investment management experience.
YZi Labs Invests in Digital Asset to Advance Institutional Blockchain Adoption
YZi Labs has participated in Digital Asset’s $135 million Series E funding round, joining established financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Citadel Securities, and DTCC. The investment supports Digital Asset’s development of enterprise-grade tools for regulated markets and underlines YZi Labs’ commitment to enhancing infrastructure for institutional blockchain adoption, particularly in mature markets like the U.S.
Digital Asset is the developer of the Canton Network, a public Layer 1 blockchain designed with configurable on-chain privacy. As of June 2025, Canton supports tokenised real-world assets with a TVL in the trillions, including over $1.5 trillion in monthly U.S. Treasury repo activity. The network includes nearly 400 participants and addresses key barriers to blockchain use by regulated financial institutions. The funding will aid in expanding Canton’s infrastructure, accelerating onboarding, and enabling broader interoperability across global markets.
Blue Ocean Technologies Selects Eventus’ Validus Platform for Trade Surveillance
Blue Ocean Technologies has chosen Eventus’ Validus platform as the trade surveillance solution for its Blue Ocean ATS, the first after-hours equities trading venue. This strategic move is aimed at enhancing Blue Ocean’s surveillance capabilities, supporting its mission to offer a secure and efficient 24-hour trading environment. The platform will help the company improve monitoring of trading activity through a centralised, flexible, and scalable system.
Validus was selected for its ability to handle high volumes of data and deliver actionable insights. Its comprehensive features are expected to strengthen Blue Ocean’s reporting, operational oversight, and long-term decision-making. This partnership underscores both companies’ focus on maintaining strong risk management and surveillance standards in global trading.
CME Group to Launch FX Tape+ for Enhanced Transparency in FX Markets
CME Group has announced plans to launch CME FX Tape+ later this year, aiming to deliver centralised reference prices and a broad view of FX market liquidity. The service will consolidate data from CME’s central limit order book (CLOB) platforms, including FX futures, EBS Market, FX Spot+, and FX Link. Drawing on a network of 1,400 institutions and over 100,000 FX market participants, the initiative is designed to address fragmentation in the FX market and improve pricing transparency.
CME FX Tape+ will provide real-time reference prices derived from firm, actionable liquidity rather than indicative or curated sources. Covering 10 major currencies at launch, the system will feature a composite mid-price calculated from trades, quotes, and mid-rates across CME’s platforms. Data will be available at 250-millisecond intervals via a websocket API and historical files, enabling market participants to better benchmark trading strategies and assess execution costs.