Front-Office Tech
Where have all the blockchain startups gone?
Building a startup is hard. Building a blockchain startup is harder. More than 10 current and former financial blockchain builders and users detail their experiences of trying to cut their teeth on a once-darling tech, and the lessons they’re still…
Limiting fat-finger errors: Using AI, the ESA and Mosaic aim to make traders more efficient
The European Space Agency is looking to apply space technology and AI to help financial firms better manage risk and find alpha-generating signals. Mosaic Smart Data is now four years into a partnership with the organization and is taking aim at…
LSEG-Tora: A tale of crypto, Asia expansion and (more) integration burdens
When LSEG acquired Refinitiv, it added Eikon, FXall, and AlphaDesk to its portfolio of execution platforms. In February, the exchange also bought Tora, which has a stronghold in Asia, as well as a presence in crypto. While sources say there are clearly…
Waters Wrap: Google’s cap markets play portends a shift in trade tech philosophies
According to Google’s Phil Moyer, the capital markets are shifting from a world where location determined liquidity, to one where accessibility will be the main differentiator for exchanges. Anthony explores what this could mean for trading firms going…
Eliminating the human touch: Examining RBC’s tech infrastructure evolution
The Canadian bank’s tech infrastructure unit is using Kubernetes as it looks to become a “truly end-to-end digital enterprise.”
SEC sets its sights on fixed-income platforms with Reg ATS revamp
US regulator’s mammoth January proposal has something in it for most US trading systems, but Jo suspects it will be the definitions of exchanges that hit the hardest.
Tech vendors rethink risk in era of surging options volume
As options volumes soar, technology vendors are thinking about new risks posed when legacy infrastructure meets increasingly complex markets.
One view to rule them all: Buy side firms seek to unify their data
Asset management firms still struggle to consolidate their data so that it speaks the same language across different business lines. Some new SaaS-based investment management vendors are aiming to solve this.
Waters Wrap: Data ownership & storm clouds brewing
Thanks to technological advancement, firms are finding new ways to monetize data. While the question of “who owns the data” was never a pressing one in the past, Anthony says that there are reasons to believe that will soon change.
This Week: Amundi Tech; Broadridge/ Santander; Deutsche Börse & more
A summary of the latest financial technology news.
Eurex upgrade timeline too tough, say banks
As exchanges prepare roll-out of major upgrades, banks are struggling to cope
Waters Wrap: Mid-tier market data providers look to reinvent themselves
Anthony loves when his opinions spark debate. Following responses to a recent column on consolidation among mid-market data technology vendors, he provides something of a case study, which looks at how Exegy is evolving after its acquisition of Vela.
What the hell is Web3, anyway?
The next iteration of the internet is upon us, with the potential to deliver radical shifts to every industry, including banking. The movement, which is currently buoyed by the prospects of blockchain and virtual reality, has implications for computing,…
Waters Wrap: Tech procurement, hospitality & how cloud has changed the game
Because it’s easier to switch tech providers, and because the pandemic is helping to push firms to want tools delivered as a service, and because of new rules, and because of mounting challenges from startup fintech companies, Anthony says that incumbent…
The bank, the vendor, the turrets and the golf day
After DBS switched supplier, a row broke out, raising questions about entertainment and influence
Buy-side traders start to cool on ESG-deficient dealers
Managers adopting ESG metrics in counterparty evaluations may exclude dealers that aren’t up to scratch
In the race to institutionalize crypto, participants eye familiar tech ‘wrappers’ for new assets
Despite the development of digital assets overall, and interest in cryptocurrencies remaining strong among individual investors and niche firms, widespread institutional adoption remains muted. Wei-Shen Wong looks at the tools being developed to support…
BNY Mellon’s CRO: ‘IT must own the risk of their business decisions’
Veteran risk manager and former trader Senthil Kumar gives his views on “intelligent” risk-taking.
Waters Wrap: Pico, Redline, & the shrinking mid-market, market data tech space
After pairings of the Options-Activ, Exegy-Vela, and now Pico-Redline, Anthony wonders whether the next wave of consolidation will involve the biggest tech and market data players.
Money.Net returns, plans launch of new terminal in early 2022
Last year, the low-cost data vendor filed for—and emerged from—Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection after facing financial woes and a lawsuit from former investors. This new iteration will be led by several execs from broker Gain Capital.
Meme stocks, Reddit, and QAnon: A postcard from the origin of the metaverse
Join WatersTechnology for a look back at the most absurd stories of the year—Reddit/GameStop, the advent of meme stocks, and QAnon—and what they mean for you.
2021: The year when Big Tech ‘Googled’ the financial markets and liked the results
Now that cloud has become widely adopted by financial firms, Big Tech companies are seeking to leverage their other services to become more ingrained in the workflows of the capital markets.
Machine learning & NLP in the capital markets: Some examples from 2021
To show how ML and NLP are spreading across the industry, WatersTechnology highlights 20 stories from the last 12 months that feature unique uses of AI.
Waters Wrap: The biggest disruptors facing the capital markets as we head into 2022
In Anthony’s mind, eight topics will dominate the headlines in the New Year. They are…