Top industry figures met in Boca last week for the International Futures Industry Conference. All heads of the leading global exchanges appeared on stage for the “The Exchange Landscape: The View from the Top” panel. Moderated by Sara Eisen from the CNBC, the panel included Thomas Book (Member of the Executive Board, Deutsche Boerse Group), Stephane Boujnah (CEO and Chairman of the Managing Board), Euronext, Terry Duffy (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CME Group), Adena Friedman (Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Nasdaq), and Jeff Sprecher (Chair & Chief Executive Officer, ICE).

The wide-ranging conversation covered political risk, innovative products and latest technology developments. Significantly, the conversation touched upon the trends of the younger generation of investors. Panellists highlighted how the fintech revolution, which had been taking place over a number of years, has broadened access to markets for retail participants. The advancement of technology has not only helped to bring this new group of investors into the markets, it has also helped them manage risk more successfully, and enabled them work with dealers that work with managed risk. 

As technology continues to advance, the difference between retail and institutional trading will become increasingly blurred. Bitcoin is a perfect example of being an asset class appealing to both retail and institutional investors. In addition, the advent of widespread access to AI will democratise access to information, levelling the knowledge playing field between those with less and more capital by enhancing opportunities and risk management for everyone. 

Overall, the panellists were largely positive about retail access. The development of more products will help people to better manage their risk out of any market, whether it’s futures, equities or any other asset class. Here, market operators should take on the role of educators, to help retail investors understand the risks involved. Ultimately, providing access to all investors is key in the step towards the democratisation of markets.