Quantexa Adds Decision Intelligence Platform to Google Cloud Marketplace

Quantexa, a provider of decision intelligence solutions, has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud by adding its Decision Intelligence Platform and solutions to Google Cloud Marketplace. The solutions include data management, customer intelligence, Know Your Customer (KYC), financial crime, fraud and security, and risk. The partnership enables customers to quickly deploy Quantexa’s solutions globally on Google Cloud’s secure and sustainable infrastructure.

FIX Protocol Includes Digital Token Identifier

The Digital Token Identifier (DTI) ISO standard has been added to the Financial Information eXchange (FIX) Protocol, the industry-standard messaging protocol for electronic communication. The addition means financial institutions will be able to use the FIX Protocol to send messages with DTIs both internally and externally.

The DTI standard is increasingly being used as it uniquely identifies digital ledgers, digital tokens and cryptocurrencies using publicly available information. It can also be used by regulators to monitor digital asset trades for anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing requirements, and for monitoring systemic risks arising from trading of global stable-coins and other digital assets. The DTI has also been recommended by ESMA as a risk management measure under the DLT Pilot regime.

42Markets Group Secures $10m Investment from Convergence Partners for Fintech Portfolio Expansion

42Markets Group, a fintech investment group, has raised $10m in growth funding from Convergence Partners, a prominent private equity investor focusing on sub-Saharan Africa’s technology sector. The funds will be used to accelerate the development and expansion of 42Markets’ portfolio companies: Mesh, Andile, and FX Flow.

Convergence Partners’ investment in 42Markets is supported by 14 global development finance institutions (DFIs) from Europe, the US, and Africa.

TP ICAP Invests in ipushpull to Accelerate Fintech’s Growth and Enhance Data Workflow Solutions

Real-time data sharing and workflow platform ipushpull has announced a Series A investment from TP ICAP, the liquidity and data solutions provider. This marks the first institutional funding for ipushpull, which will utilise the investment to expand its workforce and develop its platform to capitalise on the significant demand for its services.

ipushpull has experienced rapid growth in recent years, tripling its revenue since the pandemic, and serving clients such as NatWest Markets, BNP Paribas, and Insight Investment. The investment will facilitate closer integration of ipushpull’s technology with TP ICAP’s Fusion Connect offering, aiming to enhance the client experience.

ISS Finds European Corporate ESG Disclosures Soared in 2022

Environmental metrics disclosures by European companies were up 45 per cent in 2022 compared with the year before, according to a study by ISS Corporate Solutions. Social metrics disclosures were 36 per cent higher, the study found. Corporate disclosures add to the body of ESG data on which financial institutions rely to make informed sustainability and impact investments.

Meanwhile, ISS ESG, the company’s sustainable investment business, has said it will update its Environmental & Social Disclosure QualityScore scoring methodology later this year. The update will introduce 60 new scoring factors and remove 50. About 100 more will be adjusted. The reframing of the score comes changes to disclosures and materiality assessments, ISS ESG said.

ISSB Calls for Feedback on Future Priorities

The International Sustainable Standards Board is asking the financial industry what its priorities for the next two years should be. The umbrella body for ESG disclosure standards organisations said it the four options were to focus on biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services; human capital; human rights; and, integration in reporting.

LIST Facilitates Seamless Migration of Borsa Italiana Clients to Euronext’s Optiq Trading Platform

LIST, an ION company, has successfully upgraded its market making and trading FastTrade solution, enabling the migration of Borsa Italiana trading clients to Euronext’s Optiq technology trading platform. This follows Euronext’s acquisition of the Borsa Italiana Cash and Derivatives markets exchange in April 2021 and offers clients advanced trading functionalities specific to Optiq.

To ensure a seamless transition, LIST activated new data centres, communication lines, and software versions. The migration grants Italian trading clients access to an international investor base and a wider range of products and services. This initiative highlights LIST’s commitment to providing optimal solutions for Italian financial markets.

LSEG Introduces Turquoise Retail Max to Support Best Execution for Retail Brokers

LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group) has launched Turquoise Retail Max, a new trading service aimed at helping European retail brokers meet their best execution obligations and delivering price improvements for retail investors trading pan-European securities. Available through Turquoise Europe, the service utilises a competitive multilateral auction process and efficient processing from trading to clearing and settlement.

Turquoise Retail Max, accessible via the Turquoise Plato Lit Auctions order book, aims to achieve the best possible outcomes for retail investor orders by using a price formation mechanism based on liquidity from specialist retail liquidity providers and other market participants. The first liquidity providers to utilise the service will be Hudson River Trading and Stifel.

Appital Integrates with Virtu Financial’s Triton Valor EMS for Enhanced Investment Opportunities

Appital, the equity markets technology solution, has announced the integration of Virtu Financial’s Triton Valor Execution Management System (EMS) with Appital Turquoise BookBuilder, the algorithmic bookbuilding platform. The integration will allow buy-side firms to receive Appital liquidity opportunities directly into their workflows and trading infrastructure, enabling them to access previously inaccessible cross-border deal flow opportunities.

Among the first firms to access Appital’s bookbuilding platform via the Triton Valor EMS are Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Unigestion SA, Principal Financial Group, Groupama Asset Management, and BBVA Asset Management.

ION Markets’ LatentZero OMS Integrates with Trumid

ION Markets has announced the integration of its LatentZero OMS with Trumid, a fixed income electronic trading platform. This connection will enable users to interact with a wider group of buy and sell-side market participants, providing greater access to liquidity and trading opportunities while ensuring trade compliance from the LatentZero OMS.

The integration also offers access to Trumid’s integrated market data intelligence tools, delivering enhanced transparency across the trade lifecycle and a personalised experience, including smart notifications to guide and inform trading decisions.