Last week’s well-attended TradingTech Summit London covered a range of crucial topics in the trading technology sector, most notably regulatory trends, technology drivers, market structure and data management. AI, cloud and digital transformation are clearly here to stay, helping shape the future of trading technologies. In our collective drive towards efficiency, innovations are driving us forward, particularly in the areas of generative AI, low/no-code platforms, and modernisation of the trading tech stack for improved ROI and operational resilience. 

In order to truly achieve these efficiencies, however, we need to start bucking the status quo. Not all exchanges recognise the true extent of the technologies that are on offer, and how they can deliver beyond what is originally imagined. We can even start approaching challenges in a completely different manner. For instance, once it is thoroughly understood what an organisation actually wants, innovative solutions can be delivered to satisfy these same requirements, if the parties keep an open mind. 

With all the promise that new technologies have to offer, the key to a workable framework is an insistence on interoperability. The fear of ‘vendor lock-in’ is real, and the subsequent inability to swap and alter components. The only way forward is by ensuring the ability to integrate through open APIs and procure systems built on the principle of API first.

Which brings me to my last point: Who is actually going to physically install, configure and manage all this new tech for years to come? One of the largest obstacles for upgrades within big banks is the lack of adequate resources and skills. (Yet, I would also point out that the people servicing legacy tech are growing increasingly few and far between!)

What I am describing above is truly a step change in the way exchanges are beginning to adopt modern technology, and the specific requirements and needs around handling that same tech. Digitised securities is an excellent example of this step change in practice. Here we see cloud and interoperability working together to make eventual widespread trading of digital assets a reality, with the number of blockchain engineers on the rise. The same principles can be used across the board, regardless of asset class. 

At Exberry, we believe in looking to the future. And we’re extremely proud our work in this regard has been recognised by winning the TradingTech “Best Matching Engine for Digital Assets Trading Venues” award for the second time in three years!