A-Team Insight Brief
Quoreka Launches AI-Powered Commodity Sentiment Index
Quoreka, the energy and commodity trading risk management (E/CTRM) solutions provider, has announced the launch of the Quoreka Sentiment Index (QIndex), an AI-driven tool designed to measure real-time global sentiment for the commodity markets. The QIndex is powered by comprehensive news and data feeds supplied by Barchart, the market data and technology provider.
The index utilises artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) to analyse and quantify sentiment within daily news coverage, generating a score between 0 (negative) and 1 (positive). The system works by scanning global news, filtering articles for relevant information, classifying them by industry, and then applying sentiment analysis to calculate the average daily index value.
This process aims to translate complex global news flow into a straightforward daily metric. The QIndex is intended for use by traders, analysts, and risk managers to help them track shifts in market sentiment at a glance.
CUBE Expands AI Capability with Acquisition of Kodex AI
Automated regulatory intelligence innovator CUBE has acquired Berlin-based Kodex AI, a technology start-up recognised for applying agentic AI to compliance and risk management in financial services. The move strengthens CUBE’s position in automated regulatory intelligence (ARI) and regulatory change management (RCM), while advancing its goal of building the “third pillar” of its AI platform.
Kodex AI’s agentic architecture introduces “co-worker” functionality, enabling AI to act as a digital colleague within compliance workflows. Its technology blends fine-tuned AI models with regulatory data and knowledge graphs, designed to enhance automation and accuracy in monitoring evolving rules. The integration will extend the capabilities of CUBE’s RegPlatform, providing customers with deeper, AI-driven insight and control over regulatory change.
The acquisition also brings new technical talent to CUBE, with Kodex AI’s Berlin-based team joining the business. Having developed a large-language model for financial document analysis through Deutsche Bank’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Programme, Kodex can demonstrate the precision and domain expertise behind its technology.
CUBE founder and CEO Ben Richmond said: “Thomas and Claus have built an exceptional and disruptive European technology business, pioneering the use of agentic AI through an agent-based architecture to solve regulatory complexities. Kodex AI is a natural next step in CUBE’s strategy, allowing us to instantly deliver enhanced, AI-based compliance and risk capabilities to our global customers.”
Kodex AI co-founder Thomas Kaiser described the integration as a rare opportunity to reshape the industry: “Combining Kodex AI’s technology leadership with CUBE’s market-leading regulatory and risk data is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redefine the compliance and risk space. This is the perfect use case for advanced AI, and together we’ll push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
CUBE serves around 1,000 customers globally and employs more than 800 people across 20 countries. Backed by private-equity firm Hg since March 2024, the company has pursued a strategy of expanding its unified RegPlatform™ through targeted acquisitions, including Thomson Reuters Global Regulatory Intelligence, Oden, Reg-Room and Acin.
Hg director Thomas Martin said: “This acquisition once again highlights CUBE’s ambition and drive to change the status quo for the RegTech industry. Since inception, Ben has been driving the business to embrace the latest technology and the addition of Kodex AI will significantly boost the team’s agentic AI capabilities.”
ISITC Europe and Genbounty Partner to Offer Independent Audits Aligned with EU AI Act
In a move to support regulated firms across Europe, ISITC Europe CIC has forged a partnership with AI compliance platform Genbounty to deliver third-party AI audits and accreditation. The objective: help organizations build credible AI governance programs and ensure alignment with evolving regulatory standards.
Tackling the AI Governance Gap
As AI deployments proliferate in financial services and capital markets, many firms struggle to translate high-level rules into operational controls. While the EU AI Act defines a compliance baseline, supervisory expectations vary across jurisdictions. In the UK, the FCA’s stated approach is technology agnostic and outcomes-focused, applying existing regulatory frameworks to firms’ use of AI rather than creating AI-specific rules. This stance is reflected across its AI Update, press material and speeches—and operationalised via initiatives like AI Live Testing.
Gary Wright, Director of Industry Affairs and one of ISITC Europe’s founders, underscores the challenge. He argues that firms need clarity on how their AI components affect risk, controls, and accountability. Under this partnership, “ISITC Europe as a not-for profit community interest company will act as an independent resource for members to help manage their AI components and ensure compliance.” The offering will include audits, access to verified AI testers, workshops, benchmark reports, and post-market monitoring.
From Genbounty’s side, co-founder Rob Morel positioned the platform’s role as providing ongoing regulatory insight. He explained that the system will keep users apprised of changes and help them understand “AI components utilised across enterprises.” Through the MOU, Genbounty’s tools and vetted testers will be made available to ISITC Europe’s membership.
What This Enables — and What Still Must Be Built
This collaboration is not simply a new service launch, but a signal of maturation in the AI compliance space. By offering independent assessments, it helps fill a gap between regulation and implementation, particularly for institutions lacking internal AI expertise.
Still, several challenges lie ahead:
- Operationalizing audits. Translating compliance results into practical remediation plans will require domain experience in AI, model risk management, and financial workflows.
- Maintaining independence. As audits are performed by a provider with commercial ties, perceptions of impartiality must be managed.
- Evolving rules. The EU AI Act itself is dynamic; firms will need to continually adapt their controls as standards are refined.
Nonetheless, for firms seeking credible third-party validation of AI governance, this new path offers a clearer route than doing so in isolation.
S&P Global Integrates AI Document Analysis on Salesforce AgentExchange
S&P Global has made its S&P Capital IQ Pro Document Intelligence available to users of Salesforce’s AgentExchange, integrating Generative AI directly into customer relationship management workflows.
S&P Global said this will simplify how customers analyse complex company documents, boosting productivity and enabling clients to make quicker, data-informed decisions.
The new integration builds on S&P Global’s partnership with the Salesforce Independent Software Vendor (ISV) programme, and is accessible through Salesforce’s marketplace for agentic AI tools.
ACA Group Introduces a New Framework to Strengthen Buy-Side Market Abuse Controls
Amid growing regulatory pressure and heightened investor scrutiny, ACA Group has unveiled a new Market Abuse Risk Framework aimed at helping UK and European buy-side firms identify, manage, and monitor market abuse risks across trading activities.
The initiative arrives as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) steps up enforcement with a five-year strategy that prioritises market abuse and accountability under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR). Recent insider trading cases and the regulator’s July 2025 consultation on SM&CR reforms have further raised expectations for demonstrable, firm-wide conduct frameworks aligned with MAR and MiFID II.
Developed by ACA practitioners with extensive buy-side experience, the framework integrates surveillance, conduct, and control reviews into a single, regulator-ready model. It maps market abuse offences across asset classes, supports policy and procedure assessments, and evaluates surveillance technologies to ensure alignment with firms’ risk profiles. The solution also includes a proprietary question bank drawn from ACA’s client work and provides practical guidance on maintaining and updating the framework over time.
“What truly differentiates this solution is the depth of expertise driving it,” said Raj Somal, Partner at ACA Group. “Our clients are navigating increasingly-complex trading, and jurisdictional and infrastructure environments, and often without a clear, actionable view of their market abuse risk. This isn’t just a health check; it’s a dynamic, evolving programme that firms can use to strengthen governance, meet evolving regulatory and business expectations, and build investor confidence.”
The Market Abuse Risk Framework complements ACA’s broader compliance ecosystem, including its ComplianceAlpha® platform, which offers surveillance and monitoring tools spanning trade and communications activity, conflicts of interest, expert networks, and research oversight. Combined with advisory and managed services, these tools enable firms to remediate findings, enhance governance, and maintain ongoing compliance amid shifting regulatory expectations.
ACA will host a live session on 23 October 2025 to discuss the rising focus on market abuse, surveillance practices, and senior manager accountability across the buy-side sector.
SIX Signs Seven-Year Strategic Partnership with Barclays
Financial data provider SIX has signed a seven-year strategic partnership with Barclays. The agreement will provide all divisions of the global banking group, including its investment banking, retail, wealth management, and corporate services, with access to SIX’s comprehensive suite of financial data products. The partnership is intended to support Barclays’ international growth and drive cost efficiencies, aligning with the bank’s wider strategic transformation, with a goal to reduce costs by £2bn by 2026.
The collaboration builds on a longstanding relationship and will see Barclays contributing to the product strategy and development of new data and analytical products from SIX. In return for providing access to services such as real-time market data, wealth management capabilities, and regulatory reporting solutions, the partnership supports SIX’s own plans to expand, by helping strengthen the provider’s presence in key regions like the US and Asia, where Barclays has a significant footprint.
Openmarkets Group Adopts Eventus for Trade Surveillance
Eventus, the trade surveillance and financial risk solutions provider, has announced that Australian wealth management fintech Openmarkets Group (OMG) has adopted the Eventus Validus platform to provide comprehensive trade surveillance across all of its business.
The Validus platform will integrate into Openmarkets’ existing infrastructure to monitor all trading activity. The firm is responsible for clearing more than AUD $2 billion in annualised equities trades each month, spread across over 99,000 accounts.
Openmarkets selected Eventus after considering multiple providers, citing the platform’s advanced automation, cost-efficiency, and the availability of local support in Australia. The ability to customise the platform to generate targeted compliance alerts was also cited as a significant factor in the decision.
Blue Ocean Technologies Integrates Overnight Trading Data with NYSE Cloud Streaming
Capital markets fintech Blue Ocean Technologies has integrated its real-time overnight trading data into the New York Stock Exchange’s (NYSE) Cloud Streaming service. Blue Ocean Technologies is the operator of Blue Ocean ATS, an alternative trading system that facilitates overnight price discovery and trade execution.
The NYSE will add Blue Ocean’s top of book and last sale real-time data as an additional channel, available alongside the existing NYSE Best Quote and Trades (BQT) consolidated market data feed. This collaboration is intended to provide more convenient access to trading and risk management opportunities for investors operating outside of traditional US market hours.
The service particularly targets the Asia Pacific region, where the Blue Ocean trading session overlaps significantly with local business hours. Through this integration, the company aims to add value to its products and services in Asia, which it identifies as a major growth area for market data demand.
NeoXam Opens New Office in India
FinTech software provider NeoXam has opened a new office in Chennai, India, the French company expands its reconciliation-as-a-service product.
The move follows NeoXam’s acquisition of artificial intelligence-powered reconciliation company EZOPS, which initially opened the Chennai hub in 2022.
Private Markets ESG Data Startup Novata Acquires Atlas Metrics
Novata, an ESG data startup for private markets participants, has acquired European sustainability performance and reporting platform Atlas Metrics.
The purchase is targeted at helping New York-based Novata expand internationally, leveraging Atlas’ ESG compliance and sustainability performance management platform for banking and corporate clients.