AJ Bell has reported record customer additions and net inflows in its second quarter, with the investment platform adding 50,000 net new customers in the three months to 31 March 2026, bringing total platform customers to 723,000, up 22% year-on-year. Direct-to-consumer customers drove much of the growth, rising 28% over the year and 9% in the quarter to 534,000, with the D2C platform delivering its strongest quarter to date.  Gross inflows across the platform reached £5.6 billion, up 40% against the prior year, whilst net inflows of £2.7 billion represented a 42% year-on-year increase. Assets under administration stood at £108.7 billion, up 20% over the year, though market movements reduced quarterly AUA growth by 2% amid ongoing volatility. The investment business also performed well, with assets under management rising 31% year-on-year to £9.8 billion. Chief Executive Michael Summersgill said the results “reflect the early benefits of our previously announced increased investment in our brand and propositions.” “This significant increase in new customers reflects the value placed on our low‑cost propositions, ease of use and trusted brand. These factors also contributed to heightened inbound account transfers from other platforms within the market,” he added. Separately, AJ Bell announced the appointment of Elizabeth Chambers as an independent non-executive director with effect from 1 May 2026.  Chambers, who has held senior roles at McKinsey, Barclays, Western Union, and Bank of America, will assume the chairmanship of the Remuneration Committee, succeeding Margaret Hassall after five years of board service.The post AJ Bell Reports Record Customer Growth and Inflows first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

TMX Group has agreed a deal to acquire Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada from Cboe Global Markets for a total consideration of US$300 million. The deal is expected to strengthen the Canadian exchange operator’s domestic market position and extend its international reach into the Australian market. The two businesses, which together generated revenue of approximately $87 million and adjusted EBITDA of approximately $25 million in 2025, offer equities trading venues, listing venues, and market data solutions.  Cboe Canada encompasses MATCHNow, NEO-L, NEO-N, and NEO-D, along with ETF, Canadian Depositary Receipt, and corporate listings.  Cboe Australia provides securities exchange services, including ETF listings, structured products, warrants, and a recently granted corporate listings licence. TMX said the acquisition of Cboe Canada would increase efficiency of access to capital and liquidity for Canadian issuers, whilst reducing costs for market participants and improving execution quality.  The acquisition of Cboe Australia was described as bringing together the world’s leading mining and energy transition financing ecosystems, creating potential to serve a growing global client base in those sectors. The transaction is expected to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share within the first 12 months of closing, excluding synergies. The two components are expected to close separately, each subject to regulatory approvals in its respective jurisdiction. “We are tremendously excited to announce the acquisition of Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada, a deal that represents a unique opportunity to strengthen our domestic marketplace for clients and the entire stakeholder ecosystem, while expanding the reach and impact of our presence in a region of the world we know well,” said John McKenzie, Chief Executive Officer, TMX Group.The post TMX Group Agrees $300m Acquisition of Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

FIS has announced enhancements to its Cross-Asset Trading and Risk Suite, a single integrated platform designed to give investment firms of all sizes access to the sophisticated trading tools previously available only to the largest market participants. The company explained that the updated platform consolidates front-to-back trading operations, replacing disconnected legacy systems with a unified solution covering order, portfolio, position, and risk management across both public and private market strategies.  FIS noted that the move was intended to reduce the total cost of ownership and eliminate the manual processes that have historically held smaller buy-side firms back from competing effectively. New features are said to include upgraded digitalised dashboards designed to improve the user experience, alongside artificial intelligence tools to drive operational efficiency and enhance decision-making speed.  The platform also introduces new software-as-a-service capabilities specifically designed for alternative investments, reflecting growing demand from buy-side firms for flexible infrastructure that spans traditional and private market strategies. Matt Stauffer, Head of Trading and Asset Services at FIS, remarked: “Markets are more complex than ever and buy-side firms need cross-asset strategies to find returns. But legacy systems and manual processes are holding them back. We’re eliminating those barriers, helping firms of all sizes put their capital to work more effectively.”The post FIS Enhances Cross-Asset Trading and Risk Suite first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Exness, one of the world’s largest multi-asset brokers, proudly welcomes Tyron Beukes to Exness Team Pro, the global network of elite traders and mentors who embody trading excellence, discipline, and integrity. Exness Team Pro brings together some of the world’s most skilled and respected traders, a global collective of professionals who combine technical mastery with a passion for education and community, Team Pro members share their expertise, mentor upcoming traders, and promote a culture of discipline, transparency, and continuous learning. United, they embody the Exness values that make trading not just a skill, but a craft. Tyron, known to his community as TBFX, represents the new generation of South African traders: self-taught, methodical, and driven by purpose. With a background in Investment and Financial Management, Tyron began his trading journey determined to master the markets through rigorous backtesting and independent learning. Speaking about his trading endeavors, Tyron said, “I realized early that most courses were cookie-cutter and didn’t reflect how markets really work. So, I decided to take full control of my education and teach myself. That’s how I learned to rely on data, structure, and patience instead of hype.” Beyond trading, Tyron is the founder of a thriving educational network where he mentors aspiring traders by focusing on structure, mindset, and accountability. When asked about joining the Exness Team Pro roster, Tyron explained, “Exness is the only broker that truly aligns with my mission. They listen, empower, and give Exness Team Pro members the freedom to make a real impact. Together, we are building something the industry genuinely needs: transparency and authenticity.” Dildora Djalolova, Exness Head of Social Media, commented, “Tyron represents the new face of professional trading—disciplined, transparent, and community-driven. His commitment to helping others succeed reflects the values that define Exness Team Pro. We’re excited to see the impact he’ll make in South Africa and beyond.” With the opening of Exness’ new Cape Town office, Tyron’s addition to the team reinforces the company’s growing presence in Sub-Saharan Africa, combining global expertise with local insight to empower traders with knowledge, guidance, and world-class trading conditions. About Exness: Founded in 2008, Exness is a global multi-asset broker committed to offering traders better-than-market conditions. Today, Exness is trusted by a global network of active traders. With a focus on transparency, innovation, and long-term partnerships, Exness delivers stability, precise execution, and instant withdrawal processing, setting the benchmark for reliability in the online trading industry.The post South African trader and educator Tyron Beukes joins Exness Team Pro first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Barchart has revealed the launch of its artificial intelligence assistant named Carl directly within its cmdtyView platform. The company said in a press release that the AI assistant gives commodity traders, merchandisers, brokers, and analysts the ability to interrogate market data, discover platform functionality, and generate research reports through natural language queries. cmdtyView serves the commodity marketplace across grains, oilseeds, softs, energy, metals, and financials, providing access to pricing, fundamentals, news, and analytics across major exchanges, including CME Group, ICE, B3, SGX, and Euronext, as well as thousands of spot and physical markets. Carl’s integration is said to be built around three core capabilities.  The first is platform intelligence, enabling users to build workspaces and discover features by asking questions directly, such as requesting a workspace for Brazilian soybean markets or a formula for a crush spread.  The second is data discovery, allowing users to locate specific datasets across cmdtyView’s ecosystem without navigating menus or documentation.  The third is data dialogue, through which users can ask questions about market data, news, fundamentals, and technical analysis in natural language and receive responses in any language within seconds. Mark Haraburda, Chief Executive of Barchart, stated: “Even prior to this launch, with the workflow advantages and integrations we provide, we have maintained that operating without cmdtyView puts you at a disadvantage. Carl represents our continued commitment to that standard.”The post Barchart Launches AI Assistant Carl Within cmdtyView Platform first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.

Deutsche Börse Group and Wiener Börse AG extended their technology partnership through to the end of 2033, the companies announced. The extension ensures that trading across the Vienna Stock Exchange and its network of Central and Eastern European partner exchanges will continue to run on Deutsche Börse’s T7 trading system. Under the extended agreement, markets in Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Ljubljana, and Zagreb will remain on the T7 platform, with ongoing software releases and hardware upgrades to keep the system technically current.  The Vienna Stock Exchange acts as a service provider, managing the system infrastructure across all five markets. The Austrian stock market has operated on the Xetra trading system and its successor T7 since 1999, with the Vienna Stock Exchange progressively rolling out the technology to partner exchanges across the region (Ljubljana in 2010, Prague in 2012, Budapest in 2013, and Zagreb in 2017). “We continue to rely on an internationally established system with which global market participants are thoroughly familiar. The continuation of this reliable partnership offers all trading members continuity in planning and proven access to highly efficient exchange technology,” commented Christoph Boschan, CEO of Wiener Börse AG. Eric Leupold, Head of Cash Market at Deutsche Börse Group, said the firm is “pleased to continue providing the Vienna Stock Exchange and its partner network with one of the most powerful and secure exchange systems.”  “In further developing the software, we adhere to the highest security and industry standards and drive forward the technical innovation that is immensely important for modern exchange trading in close cooperation with our hardware partners,” he added.The post Deutsche Börse and Vienna Stock Exchange Extend T7 Trading Technology Partnership first appeared on LeapRate | Online Trading Industry News, Broker Intelligence & Fintech Analysis.