The Australian Securities Exchange has announced the appointment of Darren Yip, currently Group Executive of Markets and Listings, as Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective 29 May 2026. The appointment follows the February announcement that Managing Director and Chief Executive Helen Lofthouse would be departing the group. Yip will lead the organisation on an interim basis whilst the board continues a comprehensive global search for a permanent successor. Yip joined ASX in 2023 and has more than 20 years of experience in global financial markets, along with deep knowledge of ASX’s operations, strategy, and regulatory environment.  ASX Chair David Clarke said Yip’s appointment would provide “strong leadership and continuity” during the transition period, highlighting his institutional knowledge, proven operational experience, and the leadership skills necessary to maintain a clear focus on delivering resilient, well-governed markets. Yip said he was honoured by the opportunity to lead ASX during the period and that his priority would be maintaining operational resilience, supporting customers, and continuing to deliver against the exchange’s key strategic and technology initiatives. Clarke added that the global search for a permanent Chief Executive was progressing. The ASX chair also thanked Lofthouse for her leadership and service to the exchange, noting her contribution to advancing key technology and transformation initiatives during her tenure.The post ASX Appoints Darren Yip as Interim Chief Executive first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Tradeweb Markets has reported record first-quarter revenues of $617.8 million, up 21.2% year-on-year, as heightened market volatility and continued structural migration towards electronic trading drove strong volume growth across its global multi-asset platform. Average daily volume for the quarter reached $3.3 trillion, up 31.4% year-on-year, with quarterly ADV records set across US and European government bonds, mortgages, swaps, futures, fully electronic US high grade and high yield credit, European credit, credit derivatives, ETFs, repurchase agreements, and money markets. Net income rose 38.5% to $233.2 million, with adjusted EBITDA increasing 22.1% to $339.7 million at a margin of 55.0%.  Diluted earnings per share were $0.96, up 39.1%, whilst adjusted diluted EPS reached $1.08. International revenues grew 29.4% to $274.1 million. The board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.14 per share, up 16.7% year-on-year. Chief Executive Billy Hult said the results pointed to the strength of Tradeweb’s global platform and the continued structural shift towards electronic trading, with clients increasingly turning to electronic solutions during the volatility of March.  He highlighted advances in dealer algorithmic execution for US Treasuries, the first fully electronic swaption termination, and a new multi-asset package trading capability for USD swaps. Strategic investments in prediction markets, digital assets, and spot cryptocurrency liquidity were also highlighted, including a $31 million Series B financing in Crossover Markets and on-chain repo activity via the Canton Network.  Tradeweb revised its full-year adjusted expense guidance to trend towards the top half of its $1.1 billion to $1.16 billion range.The post Tradeweb Reports Record Quarterly Revenues as Electronic Trading Volumes Surge first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

CLS has announced that BNY has gone live on CLSNet, its automated bilateral payment netting calculation service, as the financial market infrastructure group continues to expand the reach of its post-trade FX risk mitigation offering. BNY will use CLSNet to support risk mitigation, liquidity optimisation, and operational efficiency for currency flows outside of CLSSettlement, including emerging market and developing economy currencies and same-day trades.  CLSNet standardises and automates post-trade matching and netting processes across more than 120 currencies. CLSNet saw a rise in adoption in 2025, recording an average daily netted value of $177 billion over the past 12 months, up 9% year-on-year.  The service’s community now includes the top 12 global banks and is also available to regional banks, funds, corporates, and non-bank financial institutions. Lisa Danino-Lewis, Chief Growth Officer at CLS, stated: “BNY, a key participant in the FX market and a significant global custodian, is a welcome addition to our network and marks another significant step in strengthening post-trade standards across the FX market.” Jason Vitale, Global Head of Execution Services at BNY, said going live on CLSNet represented an “important advancement” in how the firm optimised and safeguarded its FX operations against settlement risk, whilst also strengthening the broader CLS network effect.The post BNY Goes Live on CLSNet first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Barchart and Grão Direto, a digital grain trading platform, have announced a strategic partnership to make proprietary Brazilian grain market data available to international participants through Barchart’s cmdtyView platform and API distribution network. The agreement will see data sets and price curves derived from Grainsights, Grão Direto’s market intelligence platform, redistributed globally.  The datasets include regional prices for Brazil’s physical soybean and corn markets, more than 120 local price assessments covering producing regions across the country’s interior, and proprietary export benchmark indices including the FOB Santos Soybean Index and FOB Rio Grande Soybean Index, both developed in accordance with IOSCO benchmark principles. “This partnership expands Barchart’s coverage of the Brazilian agricultural market — one of the most relevant regions for global soybean and corn trade — and reinforces our commitment to delivering increasingly comprehensive and relevant data to participants in the global commodities markets,” commented Fernando Berardo, Head of Commodities for Latin America at Barchart. Brazil is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of soybeans and corn, yet Barchart noted that much of its local price information has remained fragmented across producing regions, warehouses, and commercial intermediaries.  The partnership is expected to reduce this information asymmetry, with Barchart saying it will provide structured, recurring data that enables traders, analysts, hedge funds, and agribusiness firms to monitor Brazilian market dynamics with greater precision. Unlike survey-based databases, Grainsights derives its data from thousands of daily transactions and price consultations, capturing primary signals of price formation and market liquidity.The post Barchart and Grão Direto Partner to Expand Access to Brazilian Physical Grain Market Data first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

DTCC and SSImple have announced a collaboration to help custodians automate the submission of Standing Settlement Instructions into DTCC’s ALERT database, as the industry prepares for Europe’s forthcoming move to T+1 settlement. The partnership brings together DTCC’s ALERT platform, the world’s largest SSI database, and SSImple’s SSI Comply product, which validates and confirms the accuracy and completeness of SSIs before automating their transmission into ALERT in real time.  The initiative is designed to eliminate the manual processes that have historically contributed to trade failures caused by inaccurate or incomplete settlement instructions. The collaboration is said to align with the Financial Markets Standards Board’s Core Principle 1, which calls for the automation of SSI transmission, and supports the FMSB’s recommendation to complete this process by the end of 2026. Val Wotton, Managing Director and Global Head of Equities Solutions at DTC, commented: “This collaboration with SSImple helps custodians eliminate manual complexity and improve data quality by seamlessly feeding clean, validated SSIs into DTCC’s ALERT platform.  “By establishing a validated, automated SSI flow into ALERT, the collaboration strengthens standardisation and helps the industry build greater resilience as settlement cycles accelerate.” Bill Meenaghan, Chief Executive of SSImple, said getting clean, validated data into DTCC ALERT had historically been a challenge for custodians, and that the collaboration would allow firms to achieve automation “quickly and efficiently without a heavy technology lift.The post DTCC and SSImple Partner to Automate Settlement Instructions Ahead of European T+1 Transition first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Singapore Exchange (SGX Group) said this week that it has welcomed DA Financial Service (S) Pte. Ltd. as a trading member of its derivatives market, bringing the total number of trading members on the SGX derivatives platform to 69. DA Financial Service is incorporated in Singapore and provides capital markets services including futures and options trading to individual and institutional clients, with access to international markets.  The firm is part of DA Global Financial, a Singapore-headquartered financial group with affiliated entities across Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States, and Malaysia. The group offers a broad range of services spanning clearing, market data, software, and trading infrastructure. Ai Yuanyuan, Chief Executive of DA Financial Service, said the membership marked an important milestone in the firm’s growth journey and reflected its long-term commitment to the global derivatives market.  She added: “This membership strengthens our ability to provide clients with broader market access, efficient execution, and deeper connectivity with SGX’s product suite.” Pol de Win, Head of Global Sales and Origination at SGX Group, said DA Financial Service “has built a strong following among professional futures traders, and this membership will expand the pool of active participants in our market while giving their clients direct access to SGX’s comprehensive suite of products.”The post SGX Adds DA Financial Service as Derivatives Trading Member first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

CAB Payments Holdings announced the resignation of non-executive director Kushagra Saxena on Wednesday.  Saxena is stepping down from the board to take up an executive position at another organisation. The non-executive director’s departure takes effect following the company’s Annual General Meeting, at which the resolution relating to his formal re-election has been withdrawn as a result.  He has simultaneously stepped down from his role as non-executive director of Crown Agents Bank Limited, CAB Payments’ principal banking subsidiary. During his time on the board, Saxena advised the company across a range of strategic areas, including its digital, technology, and stablecoin strategies, topics of growing significance for CAB Payments as the cross-border payments group navigates an evolving landscape for digital assets and financial infrastructure. Ann Cairns, Chair of CAB Payments, said Saxena had “brought energy, expertise, and insights” to the board, and wished him success in his new executive role. The company said that following his departure, the board would continue to comprise individuals with diverse experience across the foreign exchange, payments, and banking sectors. It also confirmed that more than half of the board would remain independent non-executive directors, in line with good governance standards.The post CAB Payments Non-Executive Director Kushagra Saxena to Step Down first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Ondo Finance has announced a partnership with Broadridge Financial Solutions to enable holders of tokenised stocks and ETFs to participate in proxy voting for the first time. The move is said to mark a step in aligning the governance standards of traditional capital markets with blockchain-based securities. Through the integration with a new Web3-enabled solution developed by Broadridge, holders of more than 250 Ondo tokenised stocks and ETFs will be able to participate in proxy voting and access prospectuses, regulatory filings, and other governance information for underlying securities.  Broadridge has integrated Web3 authentication capabilities into its ProxyVote platform, allowing investors to sign in through digital wallets and submit votes with a transparent and verifiable on-chain record. “By working with Broadridge, we are enabling holders of our on-chain tokenized stocks to access governance and voting capabilities, with all the additional benefits on-chain tokens provide,” said Matthieu de Vergnes, MD, Global Head of Institutional at Ondo Finance. Doug DeSchutter, President of Investor Communication Solutions at Broadridge, described the announcement as a major milestone in the evolution of tokenised equities and ETFs, saying the partnership helped define the next generation of market infrastructure. Broadridge noted that the new capability enables public companies, broker-dealers, wealth managers, and retail and institutional investors to access proxy voting and manage corporate actions across both traditional and tokenised securities within their existing workflows.  The firm currently tokenises more than $8 trillion in assets per month.The post Ondo Finance Partners with Broadridge first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

State Street has announced plans to deliver a tokenised fund servicing capability from Luxembourg by the end of 2026, through State Street Investment Services. The plan is set to extend its established fund administration, custody, and transfer agency services to support digitally native fund structures alongside traditional funds within a single institutional operating model. The capability will be delivered through the firm’s recently launched Digital Asset Platform, allowing State Street to support the full lifecycle of tokenised fund issuance, administration, and custody.  Digital and traditional fund structures will operate together under consistent governance, risk management, and a single client interface. Luxembourg was chosen as the initial delivery location due to its established global funds ecosystem and legal frameworks that accommodate digitally native structures. State Street Investment Management is expected to be an early adopter of the service. “This announcement reflects our progress in building infrastructure that enables digital and traditional assets to operate together within a unified institutional framework,” said Angus Fletcher, global head of Digital Asset Solutions at State Street Corp. “Investment Services is focused on delivering a production-ready servicing capability, with State Street Investment Management’s planned use of the service providing early validation of how tokenization can be applied within existing fund operating models.” Kim Hochfeld, Global Head of Cash and Digital Assets at State Street Investment Management, said: “Being an early adopter of tokenization allows us to upgrade our operating model and deliver an innovative client experience while preserving the investment discipline, risk controls, and investor protections that are fundamental to State Street Investment Management.” Delivery of the capability remains subject to applicable regulatory approvals and operational readiness milestones.The post State Street to Launch Tokenised Fund Servicing Capability From Luxembourg first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

On Tuesday, FTSE Russell announced a strategic partnership with LPX AG, a specialist research and index provider focused on listed alternative investments. The partnership will see FTSE Russell take over the calculation, administration, and global distribution of LPX’s established suite of listed private equity and listed private credit indices. The indices will be co-branded under the partnership, combining LPX’s specialist research expertise with FTSE Russell’s index governance framework and global distribution capabilities.  The collaboration also establishes a framework for the joint development of new indices and data services, with both firms citing growing investor demand for transparent, rules-based benchmarks across listed private markets and broader alternative asset classes.The post FTSE Russell and LPX Partner to Expand Listed Private Equity and Private Credit Index Offering first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

xStocks, the tokenised US equities and ETF platform owned by crypto platform Kraken, announced an integration with CoinRoutes on Tuesday. The move is expected to enable sophisticated traders to incorporate tokenised stocks and ETFs into multi-asset and algorithmic strategies alongside perpetual futures, crypto options, CME-listed commodities, and traditional equities. On Tuesday, the integration went live for CoinRoutes clients globally, allowing institutional traders to run spread strategies across tokenised equities, their underlying counterparts, and related derivatives from a single interface.  CoinRoutes provides smart order routing, liquidity aggregation, and multi-asset algorithms designed to capture pricing inefficiencies across fragmented markets, with connectivity to more than 60 venues and support for thousands of instruments. Since launching in June 2025, xStocks has processed over $28 billion in combined transaction volume and grown to more than 100,000 unique holders across blockchain ecosystems. Val Gui, General Manager of xStocks, commented: “Integrating with CoinRoutes brings institutional-grade execution to tokenized equities and unlocks new trading strategies across onchain and traditional markets, moving us closer to fully integrated, 24/7 capital markets.” Ian Weisberger, Chief Executive of CoinRoutes, said: “By integrating with xStocks, we’re giving our clients efficient, institutional-grade access to these instruments while maintaining the execution quality and control they expect from CoinRoutes.  “Our platform’s multi-asset algorithms enable seamless trading between tokenized equities, underlying equities, equity perpetual futures, and traditional futures, unlocking new relative value and spread trading opportunities.”The post Kraken’s xStocks Integrates with CoinRoutes to Give Institutional Traders Access to Tokenised Equities first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Robinhood reported first-quarter earnings after the close on Tuesday, posting revenues of $1.07 billion, up 15% year-on-year, as the US trading platform continued to grow its subscriber base and expand its product offering across active trading, banking, and international markets. Net income rose 3% year-on-year to $346 million, with diluted earnings per share of $0.38.  Adjusted EBITDA increased 14% to $534 million. Total platform assets grew 39% to $307 billion, driven by net deposits of $17.7 billion, representing an annualised growth rate of 22%. Transaction-based revenues rose 7% to $623 million, with event contracts revenue surging 320% to $147 million.  Options revenue grew 8% to $260 million and equities revenue rose 46% to $82 million, though cryptocurrency revenue fell 47% to $134 million. Net interest revenues increased 24% to $359 million. Robinhood Gold subscribers reached a record 4.3 million, up 36% year-on-year, whilst funded customers grew 6% to 27.4 million. The firm’s retirement assets under custody rose 90% to a record $27.4 billion, and its margin book grew 93% to a record $17 billion. The company also raised its 2026 expense outlook by $100 million to account for building the Trump Accounts user interface. “Driven by our relentless product velocity and innovation, Robinhood is increasingly positioned at the center of our customers’ financial lives, just as we enter the early innings of the Great Wealth Transfer,” said Vlad Tenev, Chairman and CEO of Robinhood.The post Robinhood Revenues Rise in Q1 as Gold Subscribers Hit Record 4.3 million first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

OPINION PIECE This is a profound and somewhat counterintuitive moment in global economics. If you had told an analyst a decade ago that a major conflict involving Iran would result in a “sideways” market rather than a total collapse, they would have called it a fantasy. Yet, here we are in 2026, watching the tickers hum along with a strange, steely indifference. The resilience of the markets—particularly the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq—isn’t a sign that the war doesn’t matter; it’s a sign that the “DNA” of the global economy has fundamentally shifted. 1. The “Resiliency Paradox”: Why the Markets Aren’t Tanking The primary reason for the lack of a 1970s-style “Oil Shock” crash is energy decoupling. While the Strait of Hormuz remains a critical choke point, the US has transitioned into a net exporter of energy, and Europe has spent the last four years aggressively diversifying away from volatile regions. The “Priced-In” Effect: Markets hate surprises more than they hate bad news. The geopolitical tension between Iran and its neighbors has been simmering for years; institutional investors have already hedged these risks. The Defense Hedge: In the US, the “Big Five” defense contractors often act as a counterweight. When regional stability drops, defense orders climb, keeping the major indices afloat even if consumer discretionary stocks take a hit. The Tech Dominance: The modern market is weighted heavily toward AI, SaaS, and Big Tech. These companies don’t rely on physical supply chains in the Persian Gulf to generate revenue, acting as a “digital safe haven.” 2. The Aviation and Travel Sector: A Turbulence of Costs While the broader index looks stable, the Travel and Leisure sector is where the cracks are most visible. This isn’t just about fear of flying near a war zone; it’s a brutal math problem involving Jet Fuel (Kerosene). The Jet Fuel Crunch Iran’s influence over regional refineries means a significant portion of the world’s high-grade kerosene supply is at risk. When jet fuel prices spike, airlines have two choices: absorb the cost (killing margins) or pass it to the consumer (killing demand). The “Booking Freeze” We are seeing a bifurcated travel market: Business Travel: Remains steady but shifts to virtual platforms (benefiting Zoom/Microsoft). Luxury Travel: Resilient, as high-net-worth individuals are less price-sensitive. Budget/Consumer Travel: This is the “at-risk” zone. As disposable income is eaten up by rising energy costs at home, the “dream holiday” is the first thing to be deleted from the household budget. 3. Agriculture: The Invisible Hunger This is perhaps the most dangerous “under-the-radar” impact. Many people forget that the Middle East is a massive player in the fertilizer supply chain, specifically regarding urea and ammonia. The Nitrogen Link Natural gas is the primary feedstock for nitrogen-based fertilizers. As regional gas supplies are diverted to power generation or trapped behind blockades, the cost of fertilizer skyrockets. Agricultural Stocks at Risk: Companies specializing in processed foods are in a tight spot. They face higher input costs from farmers who can’t afford to fertilize their crops, leading to lower yields and higher raw commodity prices. The Global South: While Wall Street might stay flat, the real-world impact is felt in emerging market stocks, where agriculture makes up a larger percentage of the GDP. 4. Petrochemicals and Plastics: The Molecular Crisis We live in a world made of oil—not just for burning, but for building. The petrochemical industry is the backbone of everything from medical syringes to smartphone casings. The Ethylene Gap Ethylene and propylene are the building blocks of the Plastics Industry. A conflict in Iran disrupts the flow of light naphtha and ethane. The Plastic Pivot: Companies that rely on “virgin” plastics are seeing their margins evaporate. This is accelerating a forced move toward recycled polymers, but the infrastructure isn’t ready to handle the full load yet. Consumer Goods: If you look at stocks like Unilever or P&G, their “risk” isn’t just shipping; it’s the fact that the bottle holding the shampoo now costs 40% more to manufacture than it did six months ago. 5. Summary of Sector Sensitivity Industry Risk Level Primary Driver Defense Low / Positive Increased government spending Airlines High Jet fuel costs and regional airspace closures Agriculture High Fertilizer (Urea/Ammonia) shortages Big Tech Low Low physical supply chain dependency Plastics Medium-High Feedstock volatility (Ethane/Naphtha) The New Normal? The reason the stock market isn’t “reacting” as expected is that it has become an expert at compartmentalization. The “Great Decoupling” of the 2020s has created a buffer where the digital and financial worlds can remain buoyant even while the physical world—agriculture, travel, and manufacturing—struggles with the friction of war. However, investors should be wary. A “flat” market can hide a lot of rot beneath the surface. While the S&P 500 might look healthy, the “Real Economy” of food, plastic, and movement is under more pressure than the charts suggest. What do you think is the “tipping point” for these markets—is it a specific oil price ($150+), or a total closure of the shipping lanes?The post Why Are Stock Markets Not Tanking? first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Copenhagen-based Performativ said Tuesday that it has raised $14 million in a Series A funding round led by Deutsche Börse Group, as the wealth management technology firm aims to increase its presence in the enterprise segment and expand its reach among private banks and larger financial institutions across Europe. The round also includes participation from Rabo Investments, the investment arm of Rabobank, Jacob Dahl, a former Senior Partner and Co-Leader of the Global Banking Sector at McKinsey & Company, and existing investors FinTech Collective and EIFO, the Danish sovereign wealth fund. Closing is expected shortly, subject to standard conditions. Founded in 2020, Performativ provides a cloud-native operating system for wealth management that consolidates portfolio management, performance and attribution analysis, risk analytics, compliance, reporting, multi-custodian data aggregation, and trading into a single unified platform.  Embedded AI agents automate manual workflows across front, middle, and back office functions, addressing the fragmented legacy systems that have historically burdened the industry. Albert Geisler Fox, Chief Executive of Performativ, stated: “Over the past six years, we have established ourselves as the leading platform for small and mid-sized wealth managers across Europe by modernizing legacy operations with AI-native workflows.  “With this investment, we will cement our position within the enterprise segment, bringing our technology to visionary private banks and ambitious large-scale wealth management providers.” Christian Kromann, a member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Börse Group, said the investment further strengthened the group’s Investment Management Solutions proposition as it continued to build out its buy-side ecosystem. Floris Onvlee, Executive Director at Rabo Investments, highlighted Performativ’s strong foothold in the Netherlands and its position as a leading European player in AI-driven wealth management infrastructure.The post Performativ Raises $14m Series A Led By Deutsche Börse Group first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Chicago-based broker-dealer Andes Capital Group has been censured and fined $25,000 by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority after the regulator found the firm had failed to establish adequate policies and procedures to comply with Regulation Best Interest and had repeatedly filed required documents late in connection with private placement offerings. According to a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent submitted by the firm, Andes Capital failed to establish, maintain, and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to achieve compliance with Reg BI from its introduction on 30 June 2020 through to the present.  Reg BI requires broker-dealers to act in the best interest of retail customers when making securities recommendations, and obliges firms to maintain written procedures addressing care, disclosure, and conflicts of interest obligations. FINRA found that whilst the firm updated its written procedures in June 2024 to reference Reg BI’s four component obligations, the updated documentation still failed to adequately describe how registered representatives would meet their obligations or how the firm would supervise compliance.  Procedures relating to the identification and management of conflicts of interest were also found to be insufficient. Separately, between December 2021 and August 2023, Andes Capital failed to file required offering documents with FINRA on time for six private placements, with submissions arriving between five days and thirteen months late. In three cases, filings were only made after FINRA issued notices that documents had not been received. The firm neither admitted nor denied the findings as part of the settlement.The post FINRA Fines Andes Capital Over Regulation Best Interest Failures and Late Private Placement Filings first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Worldline has announced the appointment of Stefaan D’Hoore as Group Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, who will join the payment services group’s Executive Committee and report directly to Chief Executive Pierre-Antoine Vacheron. D’Hoore has more than two decades of international experience in payments and financial services, with senior roles previously held at Visa and GE Capital.  He joins at what Vacheron described as a critical moment in the group’s transformation, with responsibility for overseeing Worldline’s global risk management, compliance, and financial crime prevention functions. D’Hoore joined Visa in 2017, where he held a series of leadership positions, including Regional Risk Officer for Asia-Pacific, overseeing network security and integrity, and leading the deployment of artificial intelligence within regional teams.  Prior to his Asia-Pacific role, he was based in San Francisco with global risk management responsibilities. Before joining Visa, D’Hoore served as Chief Operating Officer for Risk at GE Capital, overseeing operations across the EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions, and previously held Chief Risk Officer positions in both Europe and the United States. He began his career at JPMorgan as Head of Client Relations within Global Custody. D’Hoore holds a Master’s degree in Law from KU Leuven and an MBA from Vlerick Business School, both in Belgium. Vacheron commented that D’Hoore “brings strong experience with regulators and financial institutions at a key moment in our Group’s transformation.”The post Worldline Appoints Stefaan D’Hoore as Group Chief Risk and Compliance Officer first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Markets CRM has announced an integration with Squaretalk, a cloud-based contact centre platform built for sales-driven environments, embedding communication tools directly into the CRM workflow used by foreign exchange and CFD brokers. Through the integration, brokers using Markets CRM can initiate calls from within client profiles, with communication history automatically logged against the relevant client record and interaction data made visible alongside existing operational context.  The result is said to be a unified interface for sales and retention teams, and is expected to remove the need to switch between separate platforms and manually reconcile activity logs. Squaretalk provides a range of communication capabilities, including VoIP calling, automated dialling, WhatsApp messaging, real-time monitoring, and AI-assisted call insights.  Connected to Markets CRM, these tools become embedded in the standard client management workflow rather than operating as a parallel system requiring independent access. For broker operations teams, the firm said integration reduces friction between communication activity and client data management, with supervisors gaining the ability to monitor agent activity in context, assembling a complete picture of client interactions without moving between platforms. “This integration expands the Markets CRM ecosystem with communication infrastructure that is central to how modern FX and CFD brokers manage client engagement across sales, onboarding, and retention workflows,” Markets CRM stated.The post Markets CRM Announces Integration with Squaretalk first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

MAS Markets said Monday that it has appointed Billy Saunders to bolster its digital asset capabilities and deepen its institutional client coverage. Saunders has more than eight years of experience spanning digital asset liquidity, institutional client development, and derivatives markets.  Most recently, he served as EMEA Regional Sales Manager at Fusion Capital, where he focused on institutional engagement across digital asset liquidity strategies and built relationships with market participants throughout the region.  Prior to that, he held an Institutional CFD Specialist role, working with clients operating across both digital asset and traditional derivatives markets. Earlier in his career, Saunders held a series of progressive roles at Bitcashier, progressing from Business Development Manager to Crypto Commodity Broker and subsequently to EMEA Regional Sales Manager, contributing to commercial growth, client acquisition, and regional expansion across digital asset markets. Simon Blackledge, Founder and Chief Executive of MAS Markets, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Billy to MAS Markets at a time when demand for institutional-grade digital asset liquidity continues to accelerate.”  “Strengthening our team with experienced professionals remains a core priority as we continue to scale our institutional offering and expand our global client footprint.” The appointment is said to be part of MAS Markets’ broader strategy to invest in people, infrastructure, and technology as digital assets continue to mature as an institutional asset class.The post MAS Markets Strengthens Digital Asset Team With New Appointment first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Deutsche Börse reported a record first-quarter EBITDA of €1.007 billion, up 10% year-on-year, as heightened geopolitical tensions and market volatility drove strong demand across its trading, clearing, and post-trade businesses. Net revenue, including the treasury result, rose 9% to €1.638 billion, whilst net revenue excluding the treasury result grew 12% to €1.434 billion, reflecting continued structural growth across the group’s diversified business model.  EBITDA excluding the treasury result increased 18% to €803 million, underlining the operational leverage in Deutsche Börse’s core business. Net profit attributable to shareholders rose 11% to €585 million, with earnings per share of €3.21. The firm noted that the quarter was characterised by escalating military tensions in the Near and Middle East from March onwards, which prompted continuous reassessment of global risk positions by market participants, resulting in elevated volatility across equities, bonds, and energy markets.  The group’s Trading & Clearing and Commodities segments benefited particularly from increased hedging activity and higher power and gas trading volumes. The Fund Services and Securities Services segments maintained strong structural growth, with assets under custody reaching new record highs. The Investment Management Solutions segment saw growth offset partly by an 11% weakening of the US dollar against the euro. Deutsche Börse maintained its full-year 2026 guidance, with Chief Financial Officer Jens Schulte saying the group had once again demonstrated the strength and scalability of its business model.  The group also confirmed progress on the planned acquisition of Allfunds Group, with completion expected in the first half of 2027.The post Deutsche Börse Reports Record Q1 EBITDA as Geopolitical Volatility Drives Trading Volumes first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Broadridge Financial Solutions has launched a Central Risk and Liquidity Optimisation Solution, powered by Tbricks.  The solution is designed to give banks, broker-dealers, market makers, and trading firms a unified front-office platform to coordinate trade execution, risk management, and liquidity across products, desks, and venues. It is said to bring together smart order routing and execution, multi-asset market making, internalisation, centralised risk management, automated hedging, systematic indication of interest generation, and Request for Quote capabilities within a single integrated system. Broadridge believes the launch addresses a widespread challenge facing sell-side firms, where risk is typically fragmented across desks, trading workflows are disconnected, and delivering competitive liquidity to clients has become increasingly complex.  Many firms are also operating under tighter capital and balance sheet constraints whilst managing agency and principal trading activities across multiple separate systems. The new platform aims to allow firms to internalise more client flow, centralise risk in real time, automate hedging, and reduce dependence on fragmented technology stacks, whilst optimising capital deployment and lowering trading costs. “Broadridge is turning risk management from a fragmented architecture into a unified strategy that turns risk capital and liquidity provision into drivers of growth, commented Ian Williams, Global Head of Trading and Execution at Broadridge.  “Firms are looking for new ways to strengthen execution, improve capital efficiency, and deliver more value to clients and Broadridge’s Central Risk and Liquidity Optimization Solution, combined with Broadridge’s integrated connectivity and execution capabilities is delivering.”The post Broadridge Launches Integrated Central Risk and Liquidity Optimisation Solution for Sell-Side Firms first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.