News Nuggets | 31 May: Options' Paris Office; BidX's New Liquidity Manager

Morgan Stanley’s E*TRADE Announces New Charting Features

Financial services giant Morgan Stanley has introduced new technical analysis features, customizable tools, and enhancements to its E*TRADE platform, according to a press release issued on May 31.

The additions include seven new studies, six display types, advanced Point & Figure and Kagi, and six new drawings, including Fibonacci Retracement.

In addition, E*TRADE has improved its layout for earnings, dividends, and splits. Last year the platform added other features, including social media research analytics, Trade Tape, and Level II quotes visualization via the Market Depth tool.

StanChart Publishes Blockchain Paper on Sustainability in Supply Chain

Standard Chartered Bank has published a paper entitled ‘Deepening Sustainability with DLT’ in collaboration with the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA).

The paper addresses how modern technologies like Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) could be applied in the supply chain payments for corporates, financial institutions, and the industries around them.

According to the British multinational bank, the paper is part of its efforts to address challenges facing the global value chain, including traceability, visibility, cash efficiency, and accountability.

Abouzaid Departs ATFX

Ramy Abouzaid, the Head of Market Research at ATFX MENA, has announced his exit from the company after a fruitful stint over five years. Abouzaid's past associations include AxiTrader and One Financial Markets as the Chief Market Analyst. Abouzaid has yet to disclose his future professional plans.

"Time to turn the page! After five incredible years at ATFX, I'm saying my goodbyes today. It's been an amazing journey filled with growth, challenges, and lifelong friendships," Abouzaid commented.

Joint Operation Targets Suspected Fraudster

Two major Hong Kong authorities, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the Commercial Crime Bureau of the Police, teamed up to investigate a person who they thought was involved in illegal activities, including short selling. The individual was caught for possibly handling money earned from illegal actions.

The SFC's investigation pointed toward the person tricking brokerage firms with false trading documents. He made these firms think that he owned shares in four companies whereas he did not. His actions ended up making about $17.7 million, and he pocketed around $10.5 million of that as dishonest profit.

Collaborative Exploration of Payment Future

Worldline, HEC Paris, and the HEC Foundation have extended their partnership with the inauguration of the Chair of 'The Future of Money'. The tripartite alliance aims to enhance understanding of payments through dedicated research and education while fostering the sector's future professionals.

The Chair, headed by Professor David Restrepo Amariles of HEC Paris, will spearhead research around payments innovation, digital currencies, technology ecosystem, regulation, and new business models. The research anticipates contributing to leading academic journals, crafting prototypes, publishing media articles, and arranging international conferences.

N26 Welcomes Compliance Expert to Board

N26 introduces regulatory compliance and governance expert Déborah Carlson-Burkart to its Group Supervisory Board. With years of experience in finance, banking, and insurance, Carlson-Burkart will collaborate closely with the board members and N26's management team.

She brings a wealth of legal, corporate governance, and compliance knowledge to her new role. Currently, she is serving on both Boards of RUAG International and VISANA Group. Additionally, she conducts guest lectures at the University of St. Gallen for its EMBA program.

Her previous roles include leadership positions at Rothschild Trust Group, Alstom Switzerland, and MicroStrategy.

Chainalysis Acquired Transpose

Chainalysis announced the acquisition of Transpose, a blockchain data and infrastructure company offering an array of services based on Web3 data.

Through the acquisition deal, Chainalysis onboarded the Transpose team to work together with combined customers and partners. However, the companies did not reveal the financial terms of the agreement.

"We are building toward a future when all value is transferred on-chain, and every company is a blockchain company. We're already seeing companies and developers wanting to replace complicated data systems that lean on unreliable node services or incomplete data providers. They're looking for flexible, fast, and dependable APIs that can easily access precise historical and real-time blockchain data," Chainalysis stated.

"The technology and team from Transpose will help meet that demand, accelerate our roadmap, and bolster our position as the most trusted, scalable, and simple source of web3 data and apps in the industry."

Options Technology Opens Paris Office

Options Technology, a capital markets service provider, has expanded in Europe by opening an office in Paris, which will be the hub of its European operations. The company can provide localized client support and strengthen relationships with key industry partners with the new office.

"We are delighted to be opening our new office in Paris, which represents an exciting step forward for Options in Europe. We believe establishing a local presence in Paris will enable us to serve our clients better, expand our regional reach, and continue our rapid growth trajectory," said Danny Moore, Options' President and CEO.

Apart from Paris, the company has a presence in Toronto, Chicago, Auckland, New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.

Aron Groups Broker Taps Brokeree Solutions

Aron Groups Broker, a retail FX broker, has launched a copy trading service with its latest partnership with Brokeree Solutions. The broker launched the new service on multiple MetaTrader servers.

"It's a game-changer for our clients, enabling them to take advantage of innovative social trading capabilities and enhance their trading strategies," Aron Groups Broker's CEO, Farzad Vajihi, said, explaining the new copy trading service.

Additionally, Brokeree Solutions, a trading technology provider, has enhanced its service by launching a social trading mobile app.

BidX Markets Onboards New Liquidity Manager

BidX Markets, a liquidity and technology provider, announced today (Wednesday) the appointment of Elizabeth Leskauskaite as the company's new Liquidity Manager.

In the role, Leskauskaite will oversee and optimize liquidity management strategies, ensuing executions, market access, and trading conditions for BidX's clients. Her focus will be on maximizing profitability and minimizing risk.

Previously, Leskauskaite was a Senior Analyst at Britannia Global Markets and spent four years at the liquidity division of Finalto.

"With her proven track record in liquidity management and a deep understanding of the Forex, CFD and crypto markets, we are confident that Elizabeth will play a pivotal role in expanding our market presence and deliver exceptional results for our international and quickly expanding client base," said Simon Blackledge, CEO of BidX Markets.

CLS Adds Bangkok Bank to CLSSettlement

CLS, a forex settlement provider, has added Bangkok Bank Hong Kong Branch (Bangkok Bank) to CLSSettlement as a third-party participant. It has become the first Thai bank in the FX settlement network, with an average daily value of over $6 trillion.

"As the FX market continues to evolve, it is critical that regional banks have access to robust and reliable solutions like CLSSettlement to mitigate FX settlement risk," said Akira Kato, the Head of Client Engagement in the Asia Pacific region at CLS.

"In Asia, a key aim for CLS is to broaden participation in CLSSettlement and expand adoption of CLS's other solutions that make the FX market safer, smoother, and more cost-effective for market participants."