KX Expands Integration with Microsoft Azure to Foster AI Application Development

KX, a provider of vector and time-series data management, has announced two offerings optimised for Microsoft Azure customers: the integration of KDB.AI with Azure Machine Learning and Azure OpenAI Service; and KX Copilot. The integration of KDB.AI with Azure Machine Learning and Azure OpenAI Service allows developers that require turnkey technology stacks to speed up the process of building and deploying AI applications by accessing fully configured instances of KDB.AI, Azure Machine Learning, and Azure OpenAI Service inside their customer subscription.

KX Copilot helps business eases the execution of complex queries on substantial datasets. Using the Azure-powered KX Copilot and a Microsoft Teams plug-in, customers can leverage vectorised data housed in kdb Insights Enterprise to facilitate better queries using natural language prompts. Users can then manage and explore the data more intuitively to generate critical real-time business insights.

Ashok Reddy, CEO at KX, says: “Generative AI is the defining technology of our age. The introduction of these services will help organisations harness its power for greater risk management, enhanced productivity and real-time decision-making.”

General availability of each KX offering in Azure Marketplace is expected in 2024.

Canoe Intelligence Engages Amplify Advisory as First Partner in Canoe Pro Plan

Canoe Intelligence, a technology provider to the alternatives industry, has released Canoe Pro in collaboration with Amplify Advisory Solutions, a professional services consulting firm that has signed up to the Canoe Pro partner network. By combining Canoe’s alternative investment technology with specialised support from partners such as Amplify, Canoe Pro delivers a unified and comprehensive offering designed to become an extension of the clients’ operations team.

Tim Loughrey, vice president of client success at Canoe Intelligence, says: “Canoe Pro is about equipping clients with the tools and support they need to navigate change and achieve their objectives in a perpetually evolving landscape. It represents the next step in our mission to empower our clients and optimise data management for alternative assets.”

Bloomberg Introduces Intra-Firm Chatbots for Enhanced Digital Collaboration

Bloomberg has launched a new service, IB Connect: Intra-Firm Chatbots, designed to enhance digital collaboration for Bloomberg Terminal users. The add-on allows users to integrate proprietary chatbots into Instant Bloomberg (IB) chat rooms, facilitating the sharing of internal system information and improving in-house business intelligence discovery.

The new service supports two types of chatbots. Q&A Intra-Firm Chatbots enable users to extract actionable intelligence directly into chatrooms, addressing queries using data from internal systems. Notification Intra-Firm Chatbots provide timely updates and alerts within the IB environment, ensuring critical information is seamlessly communicated during workflows. This integration uses natural language processing to structure unstructured IB data, which clients can customise for their unique tech stacks and workflows, adhering to Bloomberg’s API protocols.

TD Securities Integrates with Paxos for Automated Commodities Settlement

Paxos, the regulated blockchain infrastructure platform, has partnered with TD Securities, to enable fully automated and simultaneous settlement of cash and commodities for the first time in the precious metals market, enhancing the efficiency of operations for trading both traditional and digital precious metals.

Aiming to set a new standard in the industry for reducing risk and improving settlement safety, the partnership addresses the prevalent issue of many commodities trading firms lacking automated confirmations and settlement. The Paxos Settlement Service not only enables simultaneous settlement but also acts as a hub for accommodating all counterparty settlements, even those not on the network.

Torstone Technology Secures DTCC’s CTM Certification for Enhanced Post-Trade Processing

Post-trade securities and derivatives processing solutions provider, Torstone Technology, has successfully completed its Middle Office product certification with the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation’s (DTCC) Central Trade Manager (CTM) service. The collaboration with DTCC’s CTM, a global central matching platform, is timely in light of the upcoming US transition to a T+1 settlement cycle in 2024. The integration aims to provide automated central matching, essential for maintaining accuracy and efficiency in the face of shorter settlement periods.

The certification of Torstone’s Middle Office product with DTCC’s CTM promises to not only streamline the implementation process but also offer a more reliable and secure environment for post-trade activities. Additionally, the integration includes features from DTCC’s ALERT, the industry’s most extensive database for the maintenance and communication of settlement instructions.

GRI and IFRS to Launch ESG Reporting Research Lab

Sustainability reporting standards organisation GRI is to launch a research framework with the IFRS Foundation in which companies can discuss and collaborate on meeting their ESG disclosure obligations.

The Sustainability Innovation Lab (SIL) will be based in Singapore in the heart of Asia where 81 per cent of reporting companies do so in alignment with the GRI, the organisation said. Its own standards are in line with those of the IFRS Foundation, which recently published its first reporting frameworks via the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

“The goal of the SIL is to support stakeholders and all market participants on their disclosure journeys, guiding them to address disparities in sustainability reporting requirements while supporting the further harmonization of the reporting landscape at the global level,” the GRI said.

The SIL will be launched in Singapore on November 20.

TS Imagine Partners with Kayenta to Enhance Hedge Fund Treasury Management

TS Imagine has joined forces with Kayenta to integrate Kayenta’s Treasury Management System into TS Imagine’s TS One platform, to enhance finance management capabilities for hedge funds. The partnership aims to provide clients with clearer insights into their financing costs and broker relationships, particularly crucial in the context of rising interest rates.

With Kayenta’s analytics, TS One users will gain comprehensive insights into cash, collateral, and cost management for their multi-asset and multi-prime portfolios, alongside improved automated reporting. The collaboration builds on TS Imagine’s continued expansion of trading and risk management services, following a recent alliance with Cassini Systems for margin and collateral analytics.

interop.io and Infront Team Up for Deutsche Numis Trading Platform Enhancement

Interoperability provider interop.io and Infront, the European financial market data solutions provider, have collaborated to enhance the trading platform for Deutsche Numis, an international investment bank and retail service provider. This initiative comes as retail trading volumes hit record highs, surpassing the meme-stock trading surge of 2021.

To capitalise on this growth, Deutsche Numis has improved its trading execution workflow by utilising interop.io’s platform, io.Connect, to integrate its core Fidessa platform with Infront’s retail service provider quotation (RSP) solution. The connection between the systems includes synchronisation of instruments using tracking groups and colour channels, to improve efficiency and to streamline workflow for traders.

DTCC Streamlines OTC Derivatives Data Access

DTCC has launched OTC Direct Connect, a service providing access to OTC derivatives transactions data that is reportable in the US and Canada. The service eliminates manual data collection and providers subscribers in derivatives markets with access to a fast and frictionless data delivery solution that can help them manage market risks and trading risk factors in near real-time.

“This solution systematically and seamlessly disseminates OTC derivatives transaction data to interested parties,” says Tim Lind, managing director of DTCC Data Services. “OTC Direct Connect improves transparency in the OTC derivatives markets, as intended by regulatory disclosure mandates, by providing subscribers with improved information access.”

UK Said to Propose Regulation of ESG Ratings Providers

The UK is to unveil plans to regulate ESG ratings providers, according to a report in the Financial Times. The proposal is expected to be announced in January, the report said Whitehall citing sources.

Any such submission would indicate a change of approach by the country’s regulators, who until now have suggested only that firms providing ratings should work to a voluntary code of conduct to help reduce confusion among investors.

ESG ratings have been criticised for offering widely different ratings from each other on the same companies, making it difficult for investors to assess which would best suit their mandates.