FIA’s 9th Annual International Derivatives Expo (#IDX2016) took place last week at The Brewery in London, with over 1,800 delegates attending from around the world—a record for the conference. Even with the record number, though, IDX gave us an opportunity to spend quality, face-to-face time with many peers and partners in the industry, particularly those from Europe and Asia/Pacific. TT had a brand new stand at the show’s exhibit hall, where we had sales and product managers from both Chicago and London giving demos of the key benefits and new functionality of the TT platform.
Talk about a full house…we’ve set a new record for registered attendees at #IDX2016 – 1,800+ and still counting! pic.twitter.com/p3veZNKtTj
— Walt Lukken (@WaltFIA) June 7, 2016
As always, the IDX panels were a highlight of the conference, as we heard industry experts and leaders share their views on pressing topics. Brexit was the big topic in London, with a great deal of conversation about potential ramifications for the industry. But technology was also a big topic, particularly with regard to compliance and regulation. This was a key point from the “New Directions” panel, featuring CEOs from six of the world’s largest exchanges.
Barrier to furthering #fintech innovation? ‘Too restrictive regulation’. Challenges & opportunities #IDX2016 Exchange Leaders Panel
— Brian Mehta (@brianmehta) June 7, 2016
Regulatory technology—a/k/a “#RegTech”—continued to come up throughout the two days of panels. Many people seemed to agree that this is the next frontier for technology in the industry, and most were enthusiastic about the benefits it could provide to industry participants. Regulation certainly puts pressure on participants, but by focusing on innovation in that area, there is a great opportunity for new technologies to come in and have a tremendous impact.
‘Why isn’t technology considered at the start when writing new regulations?’ – Is #RegTech new #fintech?’ #IDX2016 pic.twitter.com/TXKpOz2jbc
— Abide Financial (@Abide_Financial) June 8, 2016
Discussions between FIA members & surveillance firms help define market abuse scenarios & solutions for derivatives #IDX2016 @AncoaSoftware
— Streets Consulting (@StreetsConsult) June 8, 2016
We learned a great deal by listening to our peers at IDX, but the conference was also an opportunity to show the industry what’s new from our perspective. We’ve made numerous enhancements to the TT platform since last year, and continue to do so, working to ensure that our tools provide meaningful edge to our users.
See the latest features in Autospreader, Autospreader Rules, Spread Matrix & ADL w/@patrickrooney now at #IDX2016. pic.twitter.com/A7DxTelbCa
— Trading Technologies (@Trading_Tech) June 8, 2016
We’re not just improving existing functionality, we’re also branching out into completely new spaces. Visitors to our stand got a sneak peek at our options trading functionality and saw some of the new charting and analytics features coming to the TT platform.
What’s new with @Trading_Tech? Options trading, charting/analytics & more. Visit them at stands 24/25. #IDX2016
— FIA (@FIAconnect) June 8, 2016
After the exhibit hall closed and the panels finished, the show ended with the annual IDX Gala Dinner, where a record £140,000 was raised benefitting Futures for Kids.
.@Trading_Tech gang celebrating at the @FuturesForKids Gala #IDX2016 London pic.twitter.com/9Di6jNDzZn
— Brian Mehta (@brianmehta) June 8, 2016
The fundraising record was a positive ending to the show, which tied in nicely with the main theme of IDX this year: technology is shaping a positive outlook for the derivatives industry, and we’re very excited about the role TT will play. Instead of looking backwards, we, as an industry, are looking to expand and move forward, and we’re excited to see what new firms and technologies emerge in the next few years.