Senior Business Consultant

In association with ION Markets, Acuiti published a whitepaper on how global FCMs expect the second term of President Trump to impact their businessesLONDON, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sell-side firms offering derivatives clearing services face both significant opportunities and risks during President Trump's second administration, with volatility and deregulation expected to combine with geopolitical risk and increased global complexity, an Acuiti study has found.The study, conducted in partnership with ION Markets, surveyed 59 senior executives from leading global Future Commission Merchants (FCMs). The resulting report – The Next Four Years: The Outlook for FCMs Under the Second Trump Administration – provides an analysis of how President Trump's second term will shape industry dynamics, and the steps FCMs are taking to prepare.The report examines key regulatory changes, the anticipated rise in market volatility, and evolving client appetites for trading in markets such as China and India under the new US administration. It also analyzes the key technology investment strategies that FCMs are deploying to optimize their operations over the next four years. These range from automation and front-to-back integration, to blockchain adoption and AI's expanding role.Key trends identified include:Positive outlook: A vast majority (86%) of respondents expect the new administration to benefit clearing activity, driven by deregulation and sustained market volatility.Regulatory shifts: While deregulation is seen as a tailwind, geopolitical tension and possible US restrictions on clearing outside national borders introduce new complexities.Competition: Over three quarters of FCMs anticipate increased competition amid evolving capital requirements.Technology investments: Automation, front-to-back integration, and post-trade processing top the list of IT priorities as firms ramp up capacity to handle higher trading volumes.New opportunities: Firms expect to take a more aggressive stance on digital assets. Most remain cautious on ESG and carbon trading amid the administration's move away from climate-related initiatives.The report provides an overview of how FCMs expect their businesses to perform over the next four years, and a deep dive into expectations of how the new administration will approach some of the key issues facing the market. It concludes by analyzing how firms are approaching technology investment."The headlines and news will generate uncertainty over the next few years, but the constants in business do not change

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ION, a global leader in trading and workflow automation software, high-value analytics and insights, and strategic consulting to financial institutions, central banks, governments, and corporate organizations, announces that ION's Fidessa solution has been named "Best Platform for Electronic Market Making" at Trading Tech Insight Awards Europe.The awards, organized by the A-Team group, celebrate excellence in trading solutions and services for capital markets and focus on vendors providing exceptional trading infrastructure, trading technology, and data solutions.Fidessa won the category as the platform offers numerous automation tools designed to support efficient market-making, allowing firms to manage their obligations while controlling their costs. Fidessa's key features include:Auto Quoting (AQ) , which enables users to manage quotes across multiple markets, ensuring competitive pricing and compliance with various quoting obligations., which enables users to manage quotes across multiple markets, ensuring competitive pricing and compliance with various quoting obligations. Fidessa's Retail Service Provider Quoting (RSPQ) , which allows users to automate the quoting process on the London Stock Exchange's Retail Service Provider system, handles diverse instruments and integrates retail analytics., which allows users to automate the quoting process on the London Stock Exchange's Retail Service Provider system, handles diverse instruments and integrates retail analytics. Smart Quoting Assistant (SQA), which seamlessly integrates with RSPQ to deliver fast, and error-free quoting through customer's proprietary models.Robert Cioffi, Global Head of Equities Product Management at ION, said, "We are honored to be recognized as the 'Best Platform for Electronic Market Making' at Trading Tech Insight Awards Europe. In today's fragmented liquidity landscape, market-makers face increasing complexity in fulfilling their obligations