DERIVSOURCE: Credit Default Swaps See Record Trading Volumes, New Products
Credit default swaps (CDS) saw record activity in Q1, with global trading volume surging 69% to $4.5 trillion, eclipsing the previous peak. S&P Dow Jones introduced the CDX Financials index, linking CDS exposure to private‑credit funds such as Apollo Debt Solutions, Ares Capital and Blackstone Private Credit, which together make up 12% of the equally‑weighted basket. Major banks including Bank of America, Barclays, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs will trade the new index, expanding coverage to a broader set of financial institutions like business development companies. Industry forecasts now see the total CDS market climbing to about $9.5 trillion by 2026, driven by heightened geopolitical, AI‑related and liquidity risks.
FINRA Upgrades Systems for Around-the-Clock Trading
FINRA announced that its trade‑reporting facility now operates from 4 a.m. Eastern Time, a shift from the previous 8 a.m. start, to support the growing demand for around‑the‑clock U.S. equity trading. The regulator handles more than half of all equity transaction reporting...
Financial Markets Need Their Own Mission Control
The article likens financial market post‑trade operations to a space mission, arguing that today’s fragmented communication—email chains, phone calls, siloed systems—acts like a missing mission control. When trades fail or discrepancies arise, participants waste time establishing context and confirming ownership,...
QwickRoute’s aRFQ™ Raises the Bar on ETF Liquidity
ETF assets have surged to over $20 trillion globally, prompting demand for more efficient trading tools. MCAP’s QwickRoute platform introduced aRFQ™, an automated Request‑for‑Quote protocol designed specifically for ETFs. In just two years, aRFQ has been adopted by more than 50...
Webull Canada Rolls Out Zero-Commission Trading
Webull Canada launched zero‑commission trading on April 13, eliminating per‑trade fees while still passing through mandatory regulatory and exchange charges. CEO Michael Constantino said the shift moves competition from price to platform innovation, tools, and user experience. The offering spans...
Marex Launches Private Markets Desk
Marex Group plc announced the launch of a dedicated Private Markets desk, headed by Jack Carnell and Lloyd Beeston. The unit will deliver institutional‑grade foreign‑exchange and interest‑rate hedging solutions tailored to private‑capital managers. Leveraging Marex’s proprietary technology, investment‑grade credit rating and global...
TS Imagine Launches Integrated Lifecycle Management for Swaps
TS Imagine unveiled an integrated lifecycle management module that unifies swaps trading, risk, and P&L into a single real‑time platform. The new solution replaces end‑of‑day reconciliation with intraday visibility across swap positions and hedge books, and it is accessible through...
Why All Firms Need to Master ‘Regulatory Explainability’
In February, ARK Capital Management was hit with a $504,000 fine by the Dubai Financial Services Authority for delayed review of trade‑surveillance alerts, highlighting a broader regulatory crackdown on system failures. Last year, 59% of global market‑abuse enforcement actions centered...
Nearly Two-Thirds of Retail Investors Use AI to Inform Investment Decisions
A recent Investing.com survey of 938 U.S. investors shows that 62% now rely on artificial intelligence to guide investment decisions, up from earlier adoption rates. Among AI users, 65% say the technology has improved their market performance, with 17% reporting...
Stocktwits to Offer CME Futures Data
Stocktwits announced integration of CME Group futures data, giving its 10 million users access to interactive charts, streaming prices, and dedicated cashtag pages for the full suite of CME‑regulated contracts across equities, FX, crypto, energy, agriculture, metals, and rates. The rollout...
What Crypto Still Lacks: Real Asset Management
The recent Bitcoin crash highlighted how quickly market conviction can turn into capitulation, exposing a deeper deficiency in crypto: the lack of institutional‑grade asset management. While infrastructure and liquidity have improved, persistent knowledge gaps and low trust keep retail investors...
LSEG Advances Multi-Cloud Strategy With Dell Technologies
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has entered a multi‑year collaboration with Dell Technologies to design and build a private cloud platform that will augment its on‑premises infrastructure. The new solution will integrate Dell servers, storage and automation software to improve...
DTCC to Launch Digital Assets Solutions Business
DTCC announced the launch of DTCC Digital Assets Solutions, a new business line dedicated to tokenizing DTC‑custodied securities after receiving regulatory clearance in December. The unit sits within the Clearing & Securities Services division and is headed by Tom Sullivan,...
Regulatory Action Drives Digital Asset Investment
New research by Nickel Digital shows regulatory improvements are the primary catalyst for institutional investors entering digital assets, with 68% citing clear rules over growth potential. Over 80% of surveyed firms plan to allocate capital within the next year, favoring...
AI Can Be Differentiated Source of Active Returns
SimCorp and Axyon AI released a white paper showing AI‑generated stock‑ranking signals can produce consistent active returns when combined with institutional‑grade portfolio optimization. The study examined US All‑Cap equities from 2015‑2025, testing long‑only strategies across various active risk targets. Results...
