IPC to Host Network Launch Reception in Moscow

MOSCOW – November 1, 2016 – IPC, a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the financial markets community, today announced that it is hosting an exclusive client event at the iconic Swissotel Krasnye Holmyhotel in Moscow on Wednesday, November 16. Leading Russian institutional investors, asset managers, broker-dealers, exchanges and trade lifecycle service providers have been invited to attend the reception. David Brown, IPC’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Financial Markets Network, will be joined by a number of other IPC executives to present the company’s vision and strategy for the Russian market.

Event Details

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

5:00pm – 8:30pm

Swissotel Krasnye Holmy

Davos 1+2 Hall, 29th floor,

Kosmodamianskaya nab., 52, bld. 6,

Moscow, Russia

The IPC Financial Markets Network portfolio includes Connexus Extranet, Connexus Ethernet, Connexus WAN, Connexus Channel and Trader Channel services.  IPC’s Financial Markets Network interconnects global financial centers and allows access to more than 6,000 market participant locations across 700 cities in more than 60 countries.

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About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the ever–changing requirements for advanced networks, compliance and collaboration with all counterparties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

 

MiFID II: New Compliance Tech Needed for Financial Firms In The EU And US. Even Post Brexit.

By Joanna Belbey for Forbes – first published on October 29, 2016

Financial services firms in the European Union (EU) have followed a common regulatory framework, Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), since 2007. However, in response to the financial meltdown and recognized gaps in the legislation, those rules were recently revised to strengthen the markets and better protect the investor. These updates take place in January 2018 and are collectively referred to as MiFID II.

To learn more about the rules and how they will impact financial services firms, I spoke with UK-based Robert Powell, Director of Compliance, IPC Solutions Inc. Powell has worked in and around the financial markets for nearly 30 years. Initially at banks and financial institutions, in the last ten years, he’s focused on the records retention space. Below is an edited conversation we had over video and email.

Belbey: For those who are unfamiliar with MiFID II and its impact on financial services both in the EU and here in the US, please provide us with an overview.

Powell: In a way, MiFID II is similar to the aims of the Dodd-Frank Act in the US. The goal is to enable better transparency and the support and promotion of a safer, sounder, more transparent and more responsible financial market with better access to all classes of investors. However, it differs from Dodd-Frank in two areas. First, the rules are intended to remove some of the discretion that individual member states’ regulators previously had over their market. Whereas previously member states could opt in, or out, of certain parts of the rules, MiFID II removes that flexibility. Secondly, it has been agreed that the stability of the financial markets is more important than the privacy of the individual. This is significant because of some of the changes to the rules that are coming soon, in January 2018.

Belbey: Tell us about the major provisions pertaining to electronic communications, such as rules around Record keeping, Investor Protection, Supervision, Trade Reconstruction, Retention and Storage?

Powell: MiFID II harmonizes the rules for all of these rules and regulations across the 28 member states of the European Union . The idea is that investors receive the same level of protection regardless of which member state they choose to invest in. This is important because with the single currency, it’s just as possible for a Spanish investor to invest in a French fund as in a Spanish fund. Record keeping and surveillance will now be almost the same as the current requirements in the United States. Data must be retained for five years and firms must conduct surveillance on their employees’ communications. Any communication “intended to lead to a transaction” must be stored so that transactions and behavior can be analysed by the firm or the regulator in the future.

Belbey: We know that regulators tend to be neutral about the channel of communications and that “content is determinative”. Could you talk about how firms will need to supervise their employees’ communications across multiple platforms? Are there any specific challenges firm face when supervising social media or voice?

 Powell: This is an interesting area. Previously, many countries in the European Union had not been conducting surveillance on financial markets communications. This was mainly due to the privacy rules that prevented compliance teams from looking at the messages of their employees. The new rules require a risk-based approach that is determined according to the size, scale and scope of the business. Communications should be periodically examined to allow the firm to be certain that their employees are compliant with the financial markets’ rules and the firm’s internal rules. Social media is not used in the European financial markets as much as it is in the United States, however, many expect it to increase over time, so that will need to be supervised as well. The surveillance of voice calls from desk phones or mobiles represents a particular challenge that is probably only solved with technology. Where written communications can be searched for words, phrases and intent quite easily, doing the same for voice calls requires specialist software and understanding of how conversation is different than text along with good quality calls to work on. The ability to capture, archive and analyse various types of communications media via an integrated information governance solution, will be a strategic advantage for financial service firms seeking to deal with regulatory requirements efficiently.

Belbey: In other words, firms will need robust supervisory technology to make sure they are compliant with MiFID II. In light of this, how are firms preparing? What should they be doing? Will there be enough time to meet the January 2018 deadline?

Powell: MiFID II was originally due to be implemented in January of 2017. That has now been delayed to January 2018 to allow firms more time to comply with the changes to transparency, trade reporting and other changes. As with any deadline, when it was extended there was a collective sigh of relief that was quickly followed by the realization that the extra year may still not be enough time to put in place all of the requirements. There will likely be a settling in period where regulators are more relaxed about the strict implementation, provided that firms are well on the way to being compliant. That said, the trade reporting, transparency and best execution rules will not receive that leeway.

Belbey: How has Brexit impacted the preparations for MiFID II?

Powell:  This is probably the question that I’m asked most nowadays. The UK regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), issued a press release on the day after the result was announced. They have made it very clear that there is no “bonfire of legislation” for UK participants of the financial markets. Firms will be expected to comply with the current rules and continue to prepare for the new rules of MiFID II. The MiFID II rules will come into effect at least a year before the UK leaves the European Union. The UK has been a willing and prominent participant of the creation of the new rules along with their colleagues from regulators in all of other EU member states. One of the main aims of the original MiFID was to allow firms in each member state “passport” rights to sell their financial markets products in other member states. This has been a hot topic of the Brexit discussion in Europe as many in Europe see it as being linked to the principal of the “Free movement of people”. It’s hard to believe that the European Union or the UK want to loosen market access, but the negotiations have not even started yet.

Belbey: Are US firms impacted?

Powell: Any US firm that operates an office in the EU will be affected by these changes. From the simplest change, and understanding how they apply, to the most complex in transaction reporting or in how they pay for research. Regulators such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have been diligent in publishing consultation papers and fueling discussions with firms so there is a lot of information on what firms need to do to be compliant. Industry associations are also playing a significant role in helping to prepare these businesses for potential changes. Fortunately, many US firms are already compliant with some aspects of the rules because of the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other regulators in the US.

Contributor’s note: From all accounts, firms need to begin to design processes and deploy technology they will need to meet the new MiFID II requirements now. An excellent start is to read the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) MiFID II Consultation Papers here:

MiFID II – Consultation Paper I

Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II implementation proposals – Consultation Paper II

Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II implementation – Consultation Paper III

IPC Systems: Global Connectivity for Financial Trading

By CIOReview – first published October 2016 

The use of data and voice connectivity for communicating trade information is just not enough for organizations that operate in the increasingly complex and competitive financial services industry. Firms cannot fully rely on trading partners all over the world or afford to have connectivity issues that hinder sourcing liquidity or mitigating risk. For efficient exchange of trading information, businesses need a one-stop solution provider that can offer a high-performance network and unite the various financial trading communication methods. To fulfill this requirement, IPC’s portfolio of Financial Markets Network services for data, voice, and enterprise connectivity aims to help organizations in trading faster than ever before all while becoming more agile, and enhancing competitive advantage.

“Today, businesses are looking for highly secure Unified Communications (UC) solutions that have the operational reliability to ensure that the right trading information governance is instilled within the company,” begins Don Henderson, SVP, Product and Customer Success, IPC.

Read the full article.

The Cloud and Beyond: The Next Wave of Fintech Innovation

First published in SiliconIndia, October 25, 2016

Headquartered in U.S., IPC Systems empowers the financial market globally by anticipating changes and solving problems, setting the standard with industry expertise and providing exceptional service through comprehensive technology.

Financial technology innovation continues to grow, global investment in fintech in the first quarter of 2016 reached $5.3 billion, according to Accenture, driven, in part, by increasing regulatory requirements. As banks and other financial institutions realize the challenges in building or acquiring their own proprietary technology, and the potential barriers to collaboration it can create, alliances that foster innovation and mutual objectives are becoming a priority. At the same time, enabling much of this innovation, cloud technology has continued to mature and make its leap from the world of financial startups to large enterprise players. The financial services industry has discovered that adopting a cloud solution can deliver a faster time to market, greater infrastructure flexibility, and a way to address complicated compliance mandates.

The adoption of cloud technologies is also signaling the next wave of innovation in fintech, acting as a natural stepping stone to the adoption of other consumer-oriented technology used in our everyday lives. Enhanced with the functionality, critical safeguards and security necessary for compliance, biometric authentication, mobile devices and customized apps are starting to change the landscape of financial communications. Worth noting for their rapid adoption as well as the proficiency and advancements they are bringing to financial services and in particular, the financial trading sector, biometrics, mobile devices and customized apps must be both appreciated and understood by corporate decision-makers that want to maintain a competitive edge.

Biometrics Beginning to Supplant Password Authentication

In a burgeoning trend, millions of customers of the largest banks regularly use fingerprints to log into their accounts on their mobile phones, while others are using biometric technologies such as eye scans, facial and voice recognition to authenticate identity. Goode Intelligence predicts that by 2020 bank customers will be using biometrics as the predominant method of identifying themselves in order to access bank services. Biometric technology is providing an important layer of security critical for keeping customer data secure. With security and compliance as priorities, it is no surprise that biometrics are also starting to penetrate financial trading as a way to authenticate users into telephony and data systems, particularly as mobility increases.

In financial trading, vast amounts of voice, video and other data are being collected daily. Biometrics tied to voice, the primary communication means in financial markets, or other biometric-based authentication methods, can foster greater efficiency by enabling additional compliance checks when traders may be away from their desks. Current regulation requires firms to be able to instantly access all forms of communication across transactions and retrieve them in a way that allows the “reconstruction” of that communication pre-and post-trade, along with specific data relating to a transaction. So, it is invaluable to be able to validate and authenticate through biometrics that it is your user in the telephony and data system, no matter the platform of communication they employ or for that matter, you are using to verify them.

What’s more, with financial institutions increasingly using biometrics, it is imperative that there is a secure place for this highly sensitive data to live. The cloud is increasingly becoming the platform for such confidential data given its safe, reliable and expansive capacity.

Mobile as a Business Norm

Regulation has changed the nature of how financial markets participants communicate, report and trade. The trade lifecycle now involves more participants, not only because of the demand for increased transparency,but because of firms’ needs to continue to differentiate their services to remain competitive. That means firms are hiring more economists, research staff and analysts, who in addition to compliance, need to be actively engaged in front-office activities. They need to see and hear more instantly from on site, off-site and abroad. They need to be untethered and mobile … and they are.

Those traditionally bound to their desks to perform their jobs are now up and on the go, handling transactions in real-time and many times, on their mobile devices. Tablets and smart phones are housing tools and mobile trading apps that process real-time activity, instantly. This adoption of mobile platforms is increasing productivity and cost-effectiveness, and enhancing infrastructure flexibility by empowering organizations to use consumer-friendly technology that is customized based on needs.

When it comes to trading, regulations are requiring that all communications that are intended to result in a trade are recorded and stored. That includes mobile calls, emails and instant messages in addition to hard line calls. While emails have for years been archived in the cloud, we are now at a time when many other means of communication and trading, ultimately all services should be stored in the cloud to minimize risk, improve flexibility, lower infrastructure costs due to the storage scalability cloud offers.

The Right App for the Right Need

Financial services and trading firms need to increase workforce productivity, efficiency and profitability, all while minimizing risk in an increasingly demanding regulatory environment. The path each company takes in order to achieve these goals may be different and merit tailored solutions. For example, a global bank may want an app that helps correlate the time spent by the trader and transaction support team with each customer and the resulting transaction profitability so it knows which customers to focus on, and perhaps, which members of its own team need to operate more efficiently. On-the-go traders working on mobile devices need to have instant access to their business contacts and the ability to make a phone call in seconds; they do not have time to manually search for business contact information or dial phone numbers. Apps that utilize the cloud help users migrate from on-premise solutions to on-demand access, enabling them to find data faster, make calls quicker, communicate from anywhere and integrate their work with existing enterprise applications and office systems. This is a growing collaboration and innovation trend among trading and technology firms that are partnering with companies possessing both the industry expertise and development platforms to meet their specific app needs.

While regulatory requirements for financial firms are not expected to wane any time soon, they are inadvertently furthering a new age of technology innovation, collaboration and progress. Companies that have already adopted a cloud strategy should be mindful of these emerging technology trends, but the entire industry needs to recognize their influence and future role. Those that can resourcefully incorporate the next wave of fintech evolution into their business strategies will inevitably be able to transform regulatory and market pressure into a thriving competitive advantage.

IPC’s FX Hub to Enable Secure and Reliable Access to Hotspot’s Marketplace for Outright Deliverable Forwards

CHICAGO, IL – October 20, 2016 – IPC, a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the financial markets community, and Hotspot, a leading institutional foreign exchange (FX) market owned and operated by Bats Global Markets, today announced that market participants can now gain secure and reliable access to Hotspot’s marketplace for outright deliverable forwards through IPC’s FX Hub. The announcement was made at the 2016 FIA Futures & Options Expo in Chicago.

The IPC FX Hub supports the global foreign exchange markets through data centers in key markets such as New York, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Moscow, Chicago, Hong Kong, Frankfurt and Zurich – all with connectivity to IPC’s vast community of diverse financial market participants and low latency access via IPC’s dark fiber rings to key FX liquidity providers and dealers. The Hotspot marketplace for outright deliverable forwards operates as an anonymous order book, underpinned by Hotspot’s matching engine located in the NY5 data center in Secaucus, NJ. The existing Hotspot credit infrastructure will be extended to cater to the new products.

“We are excited that our recently launched marketplace for outright deliverable forwards is a part of the IPC FX Hub and the broader IPC financial ecosystem,” said Bill Goodbody, SVP, Foreign Exchange, Bats Global Markets. “This will empower a larger base of institutional investors, asset managers and sell-side firms to securely and reliably access our platform to trade outright deliverable forwards contracts.”

“Connectivity throughout the trade lifecycle and access to an established ecosystem of diverse counterparties have become indispensable to trading FX derivatives given the increased participation of non-dealer financial institutions such as asset managers, pension funds, hedge funds and regional banks in the asset class,” said David Brown, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Financial Markets Network, IPC. “We are pleased that our FX Hub solution is empowering market participants to connect to Hotspot’s marketplace for outright deliverable forwards.”

The IPC Financial Markets Network portfolio includes data connectivity solutions consisting of the Connexus Extranet, Connexus Ethernet and Connexus WAN as well as voice solutions consisting of Connexus Voice and Trader Voice services. IPC’s Financial Markets Network interconnects global financial centers and allows access to more than 6,000 market participant locations across 700 cities in more than 60 countries.

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About Bats Global Markets

Bats Global Markets, Inc. (Bats: BATS) is a leading global operator of exchanges and services for financial markets, dedicated to Making Markets Better. Bats is the second-largest stock exchange operator in the U.S., operates the largest stock exchange and trade reporting facility in Europe, and the #1 market globally for ETF trading. We also operate growing ETF listings venues in the U.S. and Europe, two U.S. options exchanges and Bats Hotspot, our global foreign exchange market. Also, ETF.com, a leading provider of ETF news, data and analysis, is a wholly-owned subsidiary. The company is headquartered in Kansas City with offices in New York, London, Chicago, San Francisco, Singapore and Quito. Visit bats.com and @BatsGlobal for more information.

About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the ever–changing requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

IPC extends Financial Markets Network products to Connexus platform

CHICAGO, IL – October 19, 2016 – IPC, a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the financial markets community, announced today that it has extended its Financial Markets Network service portfolio to its Connexus platform. The initiative is accompanied by a global campaign that emphasizes the critical importance of reliable, resilient and secure managed network services and access to a diverse ecosystem of market participants for the financial markets. The announcement was made at the 2016 FIA Futures & Options Expo in Chicago.

The IPC Financial Markets Network portfolio includes data connectivity solutions consisting of the Connexus Extranet, Connexus Ethernet and Connexus WAN as well as voice solutions consisting of Connexus Voice and Trader Voice services. IPC’s Financial Markets Network interconnects global financial centers and allows access to more than 6,000 market participant locations across 700 cities in more than 60 countries.

“With the rapid growth in the number and types of market participants leveraging our financial ecosystem and the increased breadth and depth of our product offerings, we deemed it essential to continue to transform our product set to leverage the Connexus platform in the market,” said Tim Carmody, Vice President, Global Product Management and Engineering, Financial Markets Network, IPC. “The new identity for the Connexus products in the Financial Markets Network portfolio showcases our unique ability to help institutional investors, asset managers, hedge funds, CTAs, broker-dealers and IDBs achieve their objectives by harnessing the power of one of the largest financial ecosystems in the world.”

The advancement, positioning and messaging underscore IPC’s initiative to provide market participants with adaptive on-demand connectivity throughout the trade lifecycle and across asset classes for accessing counterparties, liquidity venues, trade lifecycle services and market data. Connexus has quickly become one of the industry’s most recognizable delivery systems since its introduction in 2011.

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About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the ever–changing requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

Clearpool Group Joins the IPC Financial Markets Network

NEW YORK – October 18, 2016 – IPC, a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the financial markets community, and Clearpool Group, a service provider of electronic trading software solutions and independent agency broker dealer execution services, today announced that Clearpool Group has joined the IPC Financial Markets Network. IPC’s extensive and diverse community of financial market participants around the world can now reliably and securely access not only Clearpool’s Algorithmic Management System, but also Clearpool’s Execution Management System. Several leading institutional investors, asset managers and commercial banks are currently taking advantage of IPC’s advanced connectivity, communications and collaboration solutions to access Clearpool’s services.

“Our innovative trading technologies provide transparency and control to market participants in today’s rapidly evolving market microstructure,” said Ray Ross, CTO, Clearpool Group. “We are delighted to join IPC’s financial ecosystem and expand the global base of broker-dealers that can access our services.”

“Given the accelerated pace of evolution of the global equity markets in the recent past, market participants are increasingly demanding cutting-edge solutions for pre- and post-trade transparency, sourcing liquidity, executing trades, managing risk and achieving compliance,” said David Brown, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Financial Markets Network, IPC. “We are excited to provide the sizeable and diverse community of trading firms in the IPC Financial Markets Network with reliable, latency-sensitive and secure connectivity to Clearpool’s solutions and services.”

The IPC Financial Markets Network service portfolio includes the Connexus Financial Extranet, Direct Connect and MPLS WAN data services, as well as Trader and Enhanced Voice connectivity services. IPC’s Financial Markets Network interconnects global financial centers and allows access to more than 6,000 market participant locations across 700 cities in more than 60 countries.

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About Clearpool Group

Launched in 2014 and based in New York, Clearpool Group, Inc., offers advanced electronic trading software and provides independent agency broker dealer execution services.  Clearpool’s algorithmic and execution management systems empower market participants to take control of better quality execution by delivering advanced electronic trading solutions for an evolving equity market microstructure and competitive landscape.

www.clearpoolgroup.com

About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the ever–changing requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

IPC Collaborates with Superloop for Greater Network Access to Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong

SYDNEY – October 12, 2016 – IPC, a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the financial markets community, announced its collaboration with Superloop, a leading independent connectivity solutions provider in the Asia Pacific Region, to provide the diverse market participants in IPC’s Financial Market Network with reliable and secure access to financial markets.

Superloop delivers high performance, reliable and secure connectivity solutions to customers in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.  Superloop’s world class networks are built for scalability and flexibility on the latest fibre-optic technology.

“We are pleased to be working with Superloop. We look forward to being their partner within the financial markets community,” says David Brown, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Financial Markets Network, IPC. “Their offerings will enable us to provide our customer base with highly secure and reliable access into key Asian markets.”

“Superloop is excited to be working with IPC,” says Steve Bond, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Superloop. “The IPC service portfolio leverages our innovative approach to connectivity infrastructure to deliver value to the financial markets community.”

The IPC Financial Markets Network service portfolio includes the Connexus Financial Extranet, Direct Connect and MPLS WAN data services, as well as Trader and Enhanced Voice connectivity services. IPC’s Financial Markets Network interconnects global financial centers and allows access to more than 6,000 market participant locations across 700 cities in more than 60 countries.

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About Superloop

Established in 2014, Superloop is quickly becoming one of the leading independent providers of interconnection services in the Asia Pacific region.

The Company owns and operates fibre networks in Australia and Singapore spanning over 300km and connecting over 48 of the region’s key data centres including the ASX and SGX. The network is continually expanding with further extensions currently underway.

In Hong Kong, Superloop is establishing a 110 km fibre optic network connecting 30 strategic sites including the Hong Kong Stock Exchange data centre, and is on track to commence operations in December 2016. Additionally, the Company is also constructing TKO Express, the first submarine cable to connect the traditional carrier hotels located in Chai Wan on Hong Kong Island and the data centre campus located at Hong Kong Science and Technology Park’s Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate on the mainland, providing much needed physical diversity and a lowest latency path between Hong Kong’s major finance and technology hubs.

The Group also operates two subsidiary businesses, APEXN and CINENET. For more information, visit: www.superloop.com

About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the ever–changing requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

 

IPC Ranked Among the World’s Largest Financial Industry Technology Providers by American Banker and BAI

IPC Ranked Among the World’s Largest Financial Industry Technology Providers by American Banker and BAI

NEW YORK — October 5, 2016 — IPC Systems, Inc., a leading global financial markets technology and service provider, today announced the company ranks 38th on the 2016 FinTech Forward 100 list of the leading technology providers in the world, based on its 2015 revenue. The list is a collaboration of American Banker and BAI.

“IPC’s strength in leading our industry’s transformation through continuous product and service innovation is reaffirmed as we are honored in the 2016 FinTech Forward 100,” said Neil Barua, Chief Executive Officer, IPC. “Our top priority is providing customers with solutions that set the standard for a productive, secure and compliant community and offering them a competitive advantage.”

“Financial services companies are increasingly turning to vendors to augment legacy technology, better understand data and provide customers with products that hold up across the digital universe,” said Robert Barba, technology editor of American Banker. “The companies we recognize as members of the FinTech Forward rankings are giving banks the tools they need to handle the challenges and opportunities they face.”

IPC is a technology and service leader, powering the global financial markets. IPC’s industry expertise, dedicated service and innovative technology allows customers to connect to the global financial community, exchange information and mitigate risk confidently and cost-effectively. IPC’s community includes more than 200,000 users that use IPC’s communication solutions to collaborate in real-time to drive more productive interactions and profitable relationships.

FinTech Forward provides a comprehensive and forward-looking view of the strategic imperatives driving bank technology, both from the vendor and the user perspectives. The program draws on the two organizations’ deep industry expertise, market-leading proprietary research, and strength in live events to produce actionable content for decision makers.

A complete listing of FinTech Forward ranked companies is available at FinTechForward.com.

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About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the ever–changing requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

 

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

MIAX Options Joins IPC’s Rapidly Growing Equity Derivatives Marketplace

NEW YORK and PRINCETON, NJ – October 4, 2016 – IPC, a leading global provider of secure, compliant communications and networking solutions for the financial markets community, today announced that it continues to grow its equity derivatives marketplace with the addition of the MIAX Options Exchange (MIAX Options) to the IPC Financial Markets Network. MIAX Options is a fully automated electronic options exchange for the trading of OCC issued standardized options on equities and ETFs.

Options play a significant role in risk mitigation, particularly tail risk management, since they can potentially generate substantial returns in times of market duress. The recent volatility in the markets and increasing frequency of black swan events are stoking demand among institutional investors, asset managers, hedge funds and dealers for trading options on equities and ETFs. Reliable and secure connectivity throughout the trade lifecycle and access to an established ecosystem of market participants continue to be pivotal in trading of derivatives in the current market environment.

“MIAX Options is pleased to become part of the network of trading venues offered by IPC to its clients,” said Douglas M. Schafer Jr., Chief Information Officer and EVP at MIAX Options.  “IPC’s ability to provide efficient and reliable access to the MIAX Options markets enables its clients to take advantage of the unique functionality, protections and industry leading performance MIAX Options has brought to the equity derivatives marketplace.”

“It is our mission to provide the global buy-side community with reliable and secure access to liquidity venues so that they can successfully generate alpha, manage beta, diversify and protect portfolios,” said David Brown, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Financial Markets Network, IPC. “We are excited to welcome MIAX Options to our flourishing equity derivatives ecosystem.”

The IPC Financial Markets Network service portfolio includes the Connexus Financial Extranet, Direct Connect and MPLS WAN data services, as well as Trader and Enhanced Voice connectivity services. IPC’s Financial Markets Network interconnects global financial centers and allows access to more than 6,000 market participant locations across 700 cities in more than 60 countries.

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About MIAX Options and MIH

MIAX Options is a fully electronic options trading exchange. MIAX Options has assembled a team with deep rooted experience in developing, operating and trading on options exchanges. Its trading platform has been developed in-house and designed from the ground up for the unique functional and performance demands of derivatives trading. MIAX Options now lists and trades options on over 2,400 multi-listed classes. MIAX Options’ unparalleled system throughput is approximately 38 million quotes per second. The average latency for a single quote on MIAX Options is approximately 16.21 microseconds for a full round trip. At the 99th percentile, the latency on MIAX Options is approximately 23.90 microseconds. At the 99.9th percentile, the latency on MIAX Options is approximately 53.71 microseconds. The executive offices and technology development center as well as the National Operations Center for the MIAX Options are located in Princeton, New Jersey.

MIAX Options, Miami International Technologies, LLC (MIAX Technologies), MIAX Global, LLC (MIAX Global) and MIAX PEARL, LLC (MIAX PEARL) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Miami International Holdings, Inc. (MIH). MIAX Technologies is MIH’s technology subsidiary for the sale and/or license of the trading technology developed by MIAX Options. MIAX Global focuses on merger, acquisition and joint venture activities of MIH. MIAX Global also provides technology and other services outside of North America, with its initial concentration being on Europe and Latin America. MIAX PEARL will be MIH’s second fully electronic options trading exchange and will leverage the industry leading technology and infrastructure developed by MIAX Options to employ a price-time allocation model. MIAX PEARL is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2017, pending approval from the SEC. www.miaxoptions.com

 

About IPC

IPC is a technology and service leader that powers financial markets globally. We help clients anticipate change and solve problems, setting the standard with industry expertise, exceptional service and comprehensive technology. With customers first and always, we collaborate with each to understand their individual needs to help make them secure, productive and compliant within our connected community. Through service excellence, long-developed expertise and a focus on innovation and community, we provide agile and efficient ways for our customers to accelerate their ability to adapt to the ever–changing requirements for advanced data networks, compliance and collaboration with all counter-parties across the financial markets. www.ipc.com

 

Certain statements contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “should” or “will” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.