Waters Rankings 2016: Best Mobile Solutions Provider — Morgan Stanley

Building on its success in the best sell-side mobile initiative category at this year’s Sell-Side Technology Awards, Morgan Stanley has triumphed in the Waters Rankings Awards, unseating last year’s winner Bloomberg Tradebook, by virtue of the merits of its Matrix Mobile solution.

Matrix Mobile delivers access across the range of Morgan Stanley services through a single application, including foreign-exchange spot prices, research analysis, mortgages, prime brokerage cash wires, and access to portfolio risk; no mean feat considering the size and range of the bank’s operations, a truly defining quality of the solution.

It is the underlying framework of Matrix Mobile that sets the solution apart from others in this space, boasting the ability to connect with any other part of the organization. The framework has been tweaked over the past year by enhancing its integration functionality and embracing HTML5, as well as providing a more feature-rich interface.

Morgan Stanley has also expanded the content delivery of the platform under the twin pressures of user demand for more detailed insight and increased regulatory requirements to present information in a clear, uncomplicated manner to traders and institutional investors. However, it is not enough to provide accurate and intelligent market information to mobile devices; through their very nature, mobile solutions must also focus on the user experience (UX). Here Morgan Stanley has built a dedicated UX team that underpins everything to do with Matrix Mobile, from its internal developments and strategies to conversations with users and non-users alike. The bank is also in the process of developing the solution for launch on Android devices; currently available across Apple iPhones and iPads, an Android-compatible solution is currently under development and should be available within the next 12 months.

Advancements in mobile technologies may ultimately see the now-standard trading desks relegated to the past alongside trading pits in favor of robust platforms delivered across a number of mobile devices. 

“Matrix Mobile takes the best of native device functionality combined with the latest HTML5 features, which allows our various institutional client businesses to integrate tools and services seamlessly into the app, and in doing so, users get a personalized experience. With that, Morgan Stanley is honored to receive this award.” Vietta Grinberg, executive director, head of fixed-income Matrix product and marketing, Morgan Stanley