TradingTech Insight Brief
National Bank of Greece in Cyprus Goes Live with Smartstream AI Reconciliation Solution
Smartstream, the data solutions provider for global financial institutions, has announced that the National Bank of Greece (NBG) in Cyprus has successfully deployed its AI-enabled reconciliation solution, Air. The bank has implemented Air’s Cash module to consolidate four separate legacy reconciliation systems used for Instant, Cash, SEPA, and Nostro transactions into a single platform.
Prior to this deployment, NBG in Cyprus managed a fragmented operational landscape. Although transaction volumes were manageable, the bank required significant daily manual effort to process items individually and navigate multiple data formats. The transition to the unified platform aims to eliminate these complexities and reduce manual processing requirements.
NBG in Cyprus selected Smartstream’s Air following a market review, opting for its self-service model and AI automation to better utilise internal resources. The platform’s ability to create reconciliation groups allows multiple items to be matched simultaneously rather than individually, delivering measurable efficiency gains from day one.
Avelacom Launches Low-Latency Connectivity Route Between Bangkok and Tokyo
Avelacom, the ultra-low latency connectivity and infrastructure provider, has launched a direct network route between Bangkok and Tokyo. By optimizing the terrestrial fibre segment, the company has established a more direct path between Thailand and Japan, achieving a round-trip delay (RTD) of less than 65 milliseconds.
The new route specifically supports low-latency connectivity between the Thailand Futures Exchange and CME derivatives markets, with a focus on gold and foreign exchange (FX) market data and trading. It caters to proprietary trading firms, institutional trading desks, and regional banks operating across global equity, FX, commodity, and derivatives markets, where deterministic network performance directly influences execution efficiency.
This infrastructure expansion addresses the growing demand for reliable, high-performance connectivity as Bangkok solidifies its position as a regional financial and trading hub. The route further integrates into Avelacom’s broader global network, which links major traditional and digital asset trading venues across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Pacer Advisors Implements Bloomberg’s Order and Execution Management Solutions
Pacer Advisors has successfully implemented Bloomberg’s multi-asset order and execution management solutions (OEMSs) to automate its investment workflow. The integration includes Bloomberg Asset and Investment Manager (AIM) alongside EMSX, its multi-asset execution management system. This setup streamlines Pacer’s position management, trade execution, and compliance processes.
As part of the deployment, Bloomberg introduced the Rule Builder (RBLD) Optimizer to assist Pacer’s traders and portfolio managers during ETF rebalances. Integrated with AIM’s portfolio management functionality, the automated trading tool allows users to compare portfolios against benchmarks and generate automated orders. This replaces a traditional, manual “Broker Wheel” approach by evaluating entire order baskets simultaneously across multiple constraints, such as broker commissions, share distribution, and liquidity footprints.
The fully integrated solution enables complex baskets to be allocated and released to brokers in coordinated, single-click batches. By transitioning from hours of manual calculations to automated, dollar-neutral execution, the system reduces cash drag and overnight risk. Ultimately, the implementation lowers operational complexity and provides scalable execution for high-volume ETF portfolios.
Pictet Asset Management Selects SimCorp One to Consolidate Trading and Operations Platform
Investment management firm Pictet Asset Management (Pictet AM) has selected financial technology provider SimCorp to simplify and consolidate its trading and operations technology platform. The decision builds on a long-standing relationship between the companies, with Pictet AM having used SimCorp’s back-office capabilities since 2008.
Pictet AM, which manages USD 326 billion in assets, will deploy the SimCorp One platform to establish a unified data layer and reduce its number of core systems. The firm will use API connectivity to integrate the platform with its specialised, in-house technology. This allows Pictet AM to retain the proprietary tools that drive its competitive trading strategies while improving data efficiency and scalability across its investment teams.
The system migration reflects a broader trend within the buy-side sector towards vendor and platform consolidation. According to SimCorp’s 2026 InvestOps Report, which surveyed 200 buy-side executives, technology consolidation is the top priority for 58 percent of investment managers. Simplifying the data landscape enables firms to improve portfolio visibility and redirect resources toward innovation and client service. The implementation is on track for completion by December 2026.
Parameta Solutions Strengthens Global Foreign Exchange Data Offering Through Strategic Partnerships
Parameta Solutions, the data and analytics division of TP ICAP Group, has announced new strategic partnerships with FX market innovator Netdania and exchange rate data provider OANDA. These integrations are designed to enhance Parameta’s foreign exchange (FX) Spot data composite by increasing its depth, transparency, and overall market resilience. By incorporating these two independent, institutional-grade providers, the company aims to offer market participants a more comprehensive and reliable view of over-the-counter (OTC) pricing.
The collaboration with OANDA integrates a premium feed that provides real-time pricing for both major and emerging market currency pairs, alongside access to over 20 years of historical FX data. Meanwhile, the integration with Netdania introduces high-speed, multi-venue data feeds. When combined with the existing pricing from TP ICAP’s brokerage desks, these new sources broaden coverage across hundreds of currency pairs and strengthen composite construction through independent contributions.
Ultimately, these combined capabilities provide global financial institutions with audit-ready data flows that align with regulatory requirements. The enhanced coverage and depth are structured to support accurate pricing, valuation, risk management, and trading models across volatile global currency markets.
LGT Selects xyt to Enhance Trading Data Intelligence and Execution Quality
LGT, the international private banking and asset management group, has partnered with trading data intelligence provider xyt. While the initial catalyst for the collaboration was regulatory compliance, LGT’s adoption of xyt’s platform has evolved into a strategic initiative. LGT is now using the platform’s transaction cost analysis (TCA) insights to actively refine and optimise its institutional trading performance.
The platform provides LGT with granular data analytics and execution quality benchmarking across its portfolios. This data-driven approach allows the firm to make more informed decisions regarding where and how trades are executed. Furthermore, the platform’s automated outlier detection has reduced the need for manual monitoring, freeing up internal resources while increasing analysis speed and accuracy.
The partnership has been supported by xyt’s ability to quickly deliver bespoke platform customisations tailored to LGT’s scale. This responsive, proactive customer support has established a strong collaborative relationship between the two organisations.
FIX Trading Community Releases Free ‘Blockchain Basics’ Manual for Finance Professionals
The FIX Trading Community has launched “Blockchain Basics”, a comprehensive, vendor-neutral manual designed to help finance professionals integrate digital assets and blockchain technology into traditional systems. Developed in partnership with QUBIC Labs, the guide bridges the gap between decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional finance (TradFi) by covering core concepts, regulatory contexts, tokenisation, and workflow impacts.
The publication addresses a long-standing information gap in the industry, offering the first single source of education on implementing DeFi tools within existing infrastructures. Because virtually all trading firms rely on the FIX Protocol, this resource centralises the necessary information for firms evaluating digital asset products.
Available for free on the FIX website, the manual is accompanied by a newly published set of recommended practices. This additional guidance assists firms with the technical implementation of digital asset workflows and trading.
Sterling Trading Tech Secures Client Agreement with PropShop Trader for Equities Expansion
Sterling Trading Tech (Sterling) has announced a new client agreement with PropShop Trader (PropShop), a multi-asset proprietary trading firm. PropShop has selected Sterling’s OMS 360 platform to support its strategic expansion into equities as a second asset class alongside its existing futures offering. The decision was driven by anticipated Pattern Day Trader (PDT) rule changes, which PropShop views as a significant market opportunity.
PropShop chose the platform due to its advanced equities trading capabilities, reputation among brokers, and specialized technology tailored to the operational requirements of proprietary trading firms. Sterling OMS 360 provides native, real-time enforcement of both Regulation T and Portfolio Margin requirements across the entire order lifecycle. This capability allows firms to proactively manage risk, prevent margin violations, and reduce exposure to regulatory breaches before orders enter the market.
Unlike competing solutions that rely on post-trade checks or partial controls, the platform delivers full lifecycle margin enforcement across Excess, SMA, PDT, and Portfolio Margin requirements. This real-time enforcement is built to align with evolving SEC and FINRA regulatory standards, giving firms confidence when deploying sophisticated trading strategies in fast-moving market environments.
Third Avenue Management Launches on Ridgeline Investment Management Platform
Third Avenue Management, a New York-based asset manager catering to private and institutional clients, has transitioned to Ridgeline’s cloud-native investment management platform. The firm, which specialises in Global Value, Small-Cap, Real Estate, and International Value strategies, selected the platform to modernise its operations and support long-term growth, with a particular focus on Separately Managed Account (SMA) strategies.
By adopting this system, Third Avenue has consolidated a patchwork of legacy systems into a unified front-to-back platform. The transition integrates trading, compliance, accounting, reporting, and client servicing into a single source of truth. Asset management firms moving to this platform typically consolidate an average of six to nine disparate systems, reducing vendor complexity and centralising operational data.
The implementation was completed in partnership with STP Investment Services, which will act as Third Avenue’s managed services provider. STP is collaborating with the firm to handle daily reconciliations and post-trade settlements. The migration reflects a wider industry trend of asset managers adopting unified, AI-embedded technology to improve client personalisation and streamline operations.
TRG Screen Launches AI-Powered Invoice Automation for Market Data Management
TRG Screen has launched Invoice AI, a new artificial intelligence capability integrated within its Optimize Spend platform. The tool is designed to help financial institutions automate the processing of market data invoices by transforming varied formats into structured, validated data. This launch follows the recent introduction of Contracts AI, forming part of the company’s broader strategy to target high-friction processes in market data management.
The new tool directly addresses the traditional bottlenecks of manual data entry, validation errors, and limited spend visibility. Invoice AI automatically extracts critical details—such as vendor information, billing periods, amounts, and individual line items—before mapping them to internal accounts. The system supports single, bulk, and API-driven uploads while maintaining complete data traceability back to the original document.
A key feature of the technology is its line-item reconciliation. Unlike standard OCR or robotic process automation, the AI populates data into Optimize Spend without manual mapping overhead. Simple invoices are processed with zero human intervention, while any detected discrepancies are highlighted alongside AI-generated commentary. The tool is currently available via early adopter programs for market data, procurement, and finance teams.