Financial regulators in Hong Kong have launched a new initiative designed to accelerate the responsible adoption of generative artificial intelligence across the financial sector. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Securities and Futures Commission, Insurance Authority and Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority jointly announced the rollout of the Generative AI Sandbox++, expanding a programme first introduced in 2024. The enhanced initiative broadens the sandbox to cover multiple sectors including banking, securities and capital markets, asset and wealth management, insurance, mandatory provident fund schemes and stored-value facilities.  It aims to help financial institutions develop and test artificial intelligence applications in a supervised and risk-controlled environment. Participants will receive regulatory guidance, technical support and access to graphics processing unit computing resources at the AI Supercomputing Centre operated by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited. Regulators stated that the sandbox will focus on three high-impact areas: risk management, anti-fraud and customer experience.  It will also advance “AI versus AI” strategies that use artificial intelligence to mitigate risks arising from AI adoption. Hong Kong Monetary Authority chief executive Eddie Yue said the launch represented “a significant milestone” under the regulator’s Fintech 2030 strategy, aimed at fostering responsible innovation while strengthening the city’s competitiveness as an international financial centre.The post Hong Kong Regulators Launch GenAI Sandbox++ first appeared on LeapRate.

Integrity Viking Funds has selected the FIS Investment Accounting Manager to modernise its investment-accounting infrastructure.  The move is aimed at boosting automation, data accuracy and support for increasingly complex portfolios. The cloud-based system is provided by FIS. FIS said the partnership demonstrates its ability to deliver enterprise-grade investment-accounting technology to asset managers of all sizes, removing historical cost and complexity barriers.  As portfolios expand to include alternative assets, derivatives and diverse fixed-income instruments, the company noted that firms require advanced systems without additional operational burden. Integrity Viking Funds said the FIS solution, which supports a broad range of investment types and accounting methodologies, would allow easier integration with other core platforms while improving operational efficiency. The SaaS-based offering is designed to provide timely and accurate data, automated processing and enhanced reporting tools. Treasurer Shelly Nahrstedt stated that smaller firms had long believed they “had to settle for less robust platforms” that could not meet the needs of sophisticated fixed-income strategies.  She remarked that the new system eliminates manual corrections and workarounds, enabling the firm to focus on investor outcomes. Matt Stauffer, head of back-office solutions at FIS, believes asset managers face rising expectations for precision, transparency and speed. He commented that removing system constraints allowed firms to compete based on strategy rather than technology limitations.The post Integrity Viking Funds Adopts FIS Platform first appeared on LeapRate.

The Australian Securities Exchange and London Stock Exchange Group have signed an agreement to modernise and upgrade the ASX 24 derivatives trading platform, aiming to strengthen resilience, expand capacity and support long-term growth in Australian and New Zealand futures markets. ASX 24 is the primary venue for regional interest-rate, equity and commodity derivatives, supported by long trading hours and deep liquidity.  The exchange said the upgrade would equip it with the infrastructure needed to innovate more quickly and respond to increasingly sophisticated global derivatives flows. LSEG Markets Technology will provide a high-performance, low-latency platform focused on reducing operational risk and enhancing system resilience. The company’s technology underpins several major exchanges globally, including those in Brazil, Qatar, Argentina and Singapore. Bruce Kellaway, global head of LSEG Markets Technology, stated that ASX 24 played a “vital role” in global markets and that the partnership would deliver next-generation trading infrastructure capable of supporting transparency and competitiveness. Farid Sammur, ASX’s head of markets technology, feels the upgrade was a “critical investment” in the long-term performance of Australia’s derivatives ecosystem.  He commented that it would help maintain a fast, fair and reliable environment for risk management and price discovery. The two exchanges will collaborate through 2026 on design, testing, migration and readiness, aiming for a smooth transition.  ASX said the project would lay the foundation for future improvements to liquidity, transparency and product innovation across its derivatives markets.The post LSEG and ASX Agree on Trading Platform Upgrade first appeared on LeapRate.

Broadridge Financial Solutions has launched an enhanced Pass-Through Voting capability on its ProxyVote platform, enabling millions of individual investors to select their preferred voting policies directly after casting their proxy ballots.  The feature aims to simplify participation and broaden engagement across the asset-management industry. Vanguard will be the first to use the new capability as part of its Investor Choice programme, which allows index-fund investors to influence corporate-governance decisions.  By embedding Pass-Through Voting within ProxyVote, Vanguard expects to improve participation for clients who hold its funds on third-party brokerage platforms. Swatika Rajaram, Broadridge’s president of bank and broker-dealer solutions, noted that investor expectations were shifting quickly.  She said the firm aimed to “simplify participation, remove friction, and make individual investor engagement scalable” by integrating the capability at the point of decision. David Reiner, head of Investor Choice at Vanguard, stated that the partnership would “meaningfully simplify participation” for investors and advisers across platforms. Broadridge believes the enhancement will make it easier for asset managers to roll out and scale voting-choice programmes by meeting investors in the digital environments they already use. Tens of millions of individuals access ProxyVote and related applications each year. Pass-Through Voting already supports shareholders in more than 600 funds with over $8 trillion in assets, up from 100 funds two years ago.  Broadridge expects additional asset managers to integrate after the upcoming proxy season, expanding voting-choice access across its network of more than 1,100 banks and broker-dealers worldwide.The post Broadridge Expands Pass-Through Voting Via ProxyVote Upgrade first appeared on LeapRate.

Crossover Markets has secured $31 million in Series B funding at a $200 million valuation, as Tradeweb Markets led a round that further blurs the lines between traditional finance and digital assets.  The raise includes participation from DRW Venture Capital, Ripple, Virtu Financial, Wintermute Ventures, XTX Markets and Illuminate Financial. Crossover, the operator of the CROSSx execution-only crypto electronic communication network, stated that the investment will accelerate global expansion, deepen institutional integrations and enhance its technology stack.  Chief executive Brandon Mulvihill said support from existing and new investors reflected the “transformative role” of CROSSx. He added that institutions increasingly expect the same execution standards in crypto that they rely on in established markets. “Combining CROSSx’s single-digit microsecond matching performance with Tradeweb’s global distribution will mark a significant step forward for institutional crypto trading,” he commented. Tradeweb plans to provide its global clients access to Crossover’s institutional spot crypto liquidity through its algorithmic order-routing tools, extending its multi-asset strategy into digital assets.  Chief executive Billy Hult feels the collaboration represented a “natural next step” as investors turn to crypto to express macro views and manage risk in a 24/7 environment. Crossover said CROSSx has facilitated more than $50 billion in notional volume across 12 million trades and now supports nearly 100 participants.  The company noted that its neutral execution-only model removes conflicts of interest and offers higher-quality liquidity compared with centralised exchanges.  Participation from traditional financial institutions, it added, underscores their growing role in shaping the structure of digital-asset markets.The post Crossover Markets Raises $31 Million as Tradeweb Backs Institutional Crypto Push first appeared on LeapRate.

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has revoked the authorised deposit-taking institution licence of the Bank of Nova Scotia after the lender formally requested its removal as it exits the Australian banking market. In a brief notice published Monday, the regulator confirmed it had agreed to the bank’s request to surrender the licence, marking the latest step in the Canadian group’s withdrawal from parts of the Asia-Pacific region.  APRA said the updated list of authorised deposit-taking institutions is available on its website. The move follows a series of strategic adjustments by the bank over the past year. In August, Bloomberg reported that the bank had carried out layoffs across its U.S. and Asia-Pacific investment-banking operations as part of wider restructuring efforts.  A spokesperson said at the time that the firm remained focused on growth in the United States, noting that staffing changes were part of routine business planning. The bank has also been winding down smaller investment-banking units in Hong Kong and Australia, according to the same reporting. The spokesperson described those steps as aligned with the bank’s global strategy and emphasised that the decisions did not reflect market conditions or employee performance.The post APRA Revokes Bank of Nova Scotia’s Australian Banking Licence first appeared on LeapRate.

Standard Chartered has been appointed digital asset custodian and settlement agent for TP ICAP’s Fusion Digital Assets platform, marking a deepening of the partnership announced in 2024. The agreement supports TP ICAP as it expands matched-principal trading in spot crypto assets via Fusion Digital Assets, a UK-regulated platform operated by TP ICAP E&C Limited and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority for crypto-asset activities. Shared institutional clients will gain access to Standard Chartered’s regulated digital-asset custody offering alongside Fusion Digital Assets’ trading infrastructure.  The bank said its custody and settlement capabilities would help TP ICAP scale its on-chain activity securely while meeting rising institutional demand. Margaret Harwood-Jones, Global Head of Financing & Securities Services at Standard Chartered, stated that the collaboration reinforces the firms’ shared goal of bridging traditional and digital finance.  Duncan Trenholme, TP ICAP’s Global Co-Head of Digital Assets, expects the milestone to allow the firm to settle blockchain-based assets through its own accounts for the first time and offer a wider range of execution services. The partnership comes as institutions increasingly seek regulated channels for accessing digital markets. Both firms feel the expanded arrangement strengthens their commitment to advancing institutional adoption by combining TP ICAP’s market-structural role with Standard Chartered’s custody expertise.The post Standard Chartered to Provide Digital Asset Custody for TP ICAP’s Fusion Platform first appeared on LeapRate.

Standard Chartered has appointed Naveen Mallela as its Global Head of Payments, effective 4 May 2026, as the bank accelerates efforts to modernise its payments infrastructure and unify its global capabilities.  Mallela will be based in Singapore and report to Mahesh Kini, Global Head of Cash Management. The bank said Mallela will oversee an integrated payments organisation spanning Collections, Clearing and Payments.  The unified structure is designed to meet rising client demand for end-to-end solutions across the full payments lifecycle, including traditional rails and emerging tokenised and on-chain settlement models. Standard Chartered has been investing heavily in technology upgrades, process redesign and partnerships to strengthen its cross-border payments offering.  Michael Spiegel, Global Head of Transaction Banking, commented that the franchise is entering “a defining chapter” as the bank builds a scalable, product-led platform positioned for long-term growth. Roberto Hoornweg, CEO of Corporate and Investment Banking, stated that Mallela’s experience will be pivotal as the bank integrates clearing and digital-asset capabilities in a client-centric way.  Mallela joins the bank from JPMorgan Chase, where he served as Global Co-Head of Kinexys (formerly Onyx), overseeing real-time cross-border payments and digital-asset settlement. With more than 25 years of experience in global transaction banking and payments innovation, Mallela has held senior roles building next-generation infrastructure and scaling digital solutions.The post Standard Chartered Names New Global Head of Payments first appeared on LeapRate.

FINRA has censured Tradier Brokerage and fined the firm $75,000 after finding it failed to accurately report written customer complaints over an 18-month period.  The action was detailed in a Letter of Acceptance, Waiver and Consent covering July 2022 through December 2023. According to the findings, Tradier Brokerage reported fewer than 20 customer complaints during the period, while “hundreds” of written grievances were received.  These included complaints about platform functionality, poor customer service and issues related to margin and options trading.  FINRA said the firm’s reporting omissions violated Rule 4530(d), which requires quarterly submission of statistical and summary information on written customer complaints. The regulator also concluded that Tradier Brokerage failed to maintain an adequate supervisory system to ensure compliance with reporting requirements.  Client service staff and compliance personnel were responsible for identifying and escalating written complaints, but training materials and written procedures did not provide clear guidance on what constituted a reportable grievance. As a result, FINRA found breaches of Rules 4530, 3110 and 2010, which collectively require accurate reporting, effective supervision and adherence to high standards of commercial honour. Tradier Brokerage, a member firm since 2001 with one branch and 18 registered representatives, accepted the sanctions without admitting or denying the findings. Under the settlement, the firm agreed to pay the fine and waived any claim of inability to pay.The post FINRA Fines Tradier Brokerage Over Complaint-Reporting Failures first appeared on LeapRate.

DTCC has announced plans to launch a suite of next-generation equities data portals, offering clients enhanced access to clearing, settlement and post-trade processing information from its subsidiaries, including the National Securities Clearing Corporation, the Depository Trust Company and its Institutional Trade Processing services. Developed with extensive client feedback and built on Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud, the portals are designed to deliver improved transparency, advanced analytics and streamlined workflows.  New dashboards, visualisations and configurable analytical tools will allow users to assess trends, efficiency and performance across their post-trade operations. Val Wotton, Managing Director and Global Head of Equities Solutions, said the launch is a “significant milestone” in DTCC’s broader transformation.  He commented that combining DTCC’s data with Snowflake’s platform provides a high-performance solution that helps clients measure operational efficiency and extract actionable insights. Key features include consolidated access to historical clearing and settlement data across NSCC and DTC services, advanced analytics dashboards, flexible query tools, pivot-table capabilities and the ability to drill down to individual trade records. The Securities Data Experiences portal, which integrates NSCC and DTC data, is currently in beta testing and is scheduled for release in Q1 2026. A redesigned ITP Analytics portal is set to follow in Q2. The post DTCC to Launch Next-Generation Equities Data Portals with Advanced Analytics first appeared on LeapRate.

NinjaTrader Group has unveiled NinjaTrader Connect, a new end-to-end infrastructure platform designed to help fintechs, brokers and trading firms offer regulated futures and prediction markets under their own brand. The platform consolidates onboarding, funding, market access, risk controls and a complete retail trading experience into a single API.  NinjaTrader noted that the solution effectively transforms the traditional futures commission merchant model into a more scalable, infrastructure-driven partnership suitable for firms seeking to expand their derivatives offerings. “As retail participation in these markets grows globally, brokerages are looking to expand their regulated derivatives offerings,” said CEO Martin Franchi.  He explained that NinjaTrader Connect allows partners to build on an infrastructure “battle-tested at scale” rather than developing systems from scratch. The service includes a white-label trading platform, real-time funding options and access to leading exchanges. A full back-office framework covering clearing, surveillance, margining and pre-trade checks is designed to support both established brokerages and new entrants. Max Shanbrom, Executive Vice President and General Manager, feels the role of the futures commission merchant is shifting.  “Market access alone is no longer enough,” he stated, noting that firms require integrated solutions that combine risk management, onboarding and a seamless user experience.The post NinjaTrader Launches Infrastructure Platform for Futures and Prediction Markets first appeared on LeapRate.

With the acquisition of Octa, the Saint Lucia-registered Versustrategy Inc. obtains a share in the growing online brokerage market. The company operates independently, with no affiliations to other legal entities. It plans to make managerial decisions, adjust its business strategy, and operate as a stand-alone industry player. As part of the deal, Versustrategy Inc. obtained all the rights to the Octa brand and its attributes, including the trademark and website. According to the buyer, the change of ownership will not disrupt the client experience. As stated by Versustrategy Inc., the company is not affiliated with the previous owners of the Octa brand and will not act as their legal successor. At the same time, the new owner declared it will fulfil all obligations to clients and retain the brand identity unchanged. Versustrategy Inc. positions the deal as a strategic step that will help it establish a solid foundation for long-term growth and development. For clients, the transition will be seamless, and operational continuity will be maintained, as the new owner plans to adhere to the same service quality standards.The post Octa, global brokerage brand, is changing owner. first appeared on LeapRate.

IG Group Holdings has appointed Andrew Barron as Board Chair Designate and Non-Executive Director, with the move taking effect immediately. He will formally assume the post once the necessary regulatory approvals are completed. Barron succeeds Mike McTighe, who has chaired the board for more than six years. McTighe will remain in place until approvals are finalised to ensure a smooth transition.  IG said his tenure oversaw significant growth in scale and diversification across the business. The appointment follows a succession process led by Senior Independent Director Jonathan Moulds, who said Barron’s experience made him “an excellent choice to chair IG”.  Barron has more than 35 years of operating and board experience across the technology, media and telecommunications sectors.  His executive background includes serving as Chief Operating Officer at Virgin Media, as well as senior roles at Modern Times Group, UPC and The Walt Disney Company. He began his career at McKinsey & Company. Barron currently sits on the boards of Openreach, Verisure and Stonepeak-backed firms, and previously chaired Tele2, Comhem and Primacom. He also co-founded the SPAC Ocelot. He said he was “delighted” to take on the role at a pivotal moment for the company. “IG has established an attractive position in global financial technology and the potential to drive further growth and transformation is significant,” he said.The post IG Group Names Andrew Barron as Incoming Board Chair first appeared on LeapRate.

Coincheck Group has completed its acquisition of approximately 99.8 percent of 3iQ, expanding its presence in global digital asset investment services.  The deal, finalised on 28 February, follows the signing of a stock purchase agreement in January. Founded in 2012, 3iQ has played a prominent role in bringing regulated crypto-asset products to mainstream investors.  Its milestones include becoming Canada’s first regulated digital asset fund manager in 2017, launching a diversified multi-crypto fund in 2018, and introducing North America’s first major exchange-listed Bitcoin and Ether funds on the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2020.  More recent developments include the world’s first Ethereum staking ETF and new staking-focused products covering Solana and XRP. 3iQ has also expanded into hedge-fund strategies through its market-neutral QMAP platform and a 2025 multi-strategy fund launched with UAE-based Further Asset Management.  Coincheck Group believes the acquisition strengthens its strategy in the institutional market and builds on the 2025 purchase of French crypto prime broker Aplo and staking provider Next Finance Tech.  The company plans to explore revenue synergies, including cross-selling institutional services and enhancing staking capabilities across the group. Oppenheimer & Co. acted as financial adviser to Coincheck Group, with legal counsel from De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Stikeman Elliott.The post Coincheck Group Completes Acquisition of Digital Asset Manager 3iQ first appeared on LeapRate.

Devexperts has announced a new partnership between its flagship multi-asset trading platform, DXtrade, and theScreener, bringing advanced investment research and analytics directly into the platform. The integration will allow brokers licensing DXtrade to offer theScreener’s trader-ready equity, sector and market intelligence within their existing interface.  According to the companies, the aim is to deliver concise, actionable insight and keep clients’ decision-making workflows inside the trading environment as public AI chatbots increasingly become the first stop for investors. DXtrade supports a broad range of asset classes, including stocks, options, futures, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds, FX, CFDs and both spot and margin crypto.  The platform provides firms with oversight and risk-management tools, AI-powered data analysis and open APIs that enable extensive third-party integrations. Available on web and mobile, it can be deployed as a white-label solution. TheScreener said its global data coverage, delivered in multiple languages, is designed to complement DXtrade’s feature set.  “We are thrilled that combining Devexperts’ leading brokerage platform with our meaningful, fact-based content creates a uniquely intuitive, ready-to-use solution for brokers worldwide,” commented Catharina Lusser, Global Business Executive at theScreener. Jon Light, Senior Director of Product Management at Devexperts, stated that DXtrade’s ability to integrate external systems is a key differentiator.  “Open APIs set DXtrade apart from competitors,” he said, adding that the collaboration aligns with both companies’ efforts to deliver sophisticated tools to brokers and financial institutions globally.The post DXtrade Partners with theScreener to Add Integrated Market Intelligence first appeared on LeapRate.

TradingView has rolled out volume footprint functionality in Pine Script, enabling traders and developers to access detailed order-flow data directly within each price bar.  The update gives users the ability to build custom footprint indicators and analyse intrabar activity without relying on lower-timeframe proxies. The new tools allow for granular metrics, including exact bid and ask volume totals, volume delta, buying and selling imbalances, and key auction levels such as the Point of Control, Value Area High and Value Area Low.  TradingView said the feature is designed to help users identify structurally important order-flow levels and integrate them into strategy development. TradingView also released example code showing how developers can extract total buy and sell volume, highlight POC areas on charts and display volume delta metrics. The feature is available to users on Premium and Ultimate plans.The post TradingView Adds Volume Footprint Support to Pine Script first appeared on LeapRate.

FTMO will discontinue the OANDA Prop Trader programme on 31 March 2026, bringing an end to the initiative launched under OANDA prior to FTMO’s acquisition of the company in 2025.  The group said the decision aligns with its strategic plan to sharpen the focus of each business line within its structure. OANDA will continue to develop its core brokerage offering, which includes foreign-exchange and multi-asset trading services.  FTMO, meanwhile, intends to concentrate on what it described as its specialised “modern prop trading model”, centred on funding traders who pass its evaluation processes. The companies said the OANDA Prop Trader programme had provided meaningful value to participating clients.  OANDA plans to contact clients directly about alternative options and transition steps ahead of the programme’s closure. FTMO stated that its long-term aim is to build a global trading powerhouse, with clear distinctions between its brokerage arm and prop-trading operations.  The firm has expanded rapidly in recent years as demand for evaluation-based trading models has increased, particularly among retail traders seeking access to larger account sizes. The termination of the programme marks one of the first structural changes since the acquisition, signalling the group’s intention to streamline activities and avoid overlap between brands. Further details were not disclosed, with FTMO referring clients to OANDA’s official announcement.The post FTMO to Close OANDA Prop Trader Programme first appeared on LeapRate.

Interactive Brokers Group reported robust monthly metrics for February, with client activity and account growth continuing to trend higher despite a slight slowdown from January.  The broker said Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs) reached 4.366 million, up 21 percent from a year earlier but 1 percent below the prior month. Client equity ended the month at $820 billion, an increase of 40 percent year on year and 1 percent month on month. Margin loan balances rose 42 percent from February 2025 to $90 billion, though this represented a 1 percent monthly decline.  Client credit balances held steady at $162 billion, including $6.2 billion in insured bank deposit sweeps. Total client accounts reached 4.646 million, 31 percent higher than a year earlier. The broker reported an average of 204 annualised cleared DARTs per account, while the average commission per cleared commissionable order stood at $2.61 across asset classes.  U.S. stock orders averaged 749 shares with a commission of $1.95, while equity options averaged 6.5 contracts at $3.77. Futures, including options on futures, averaged 2.9 contracts at $4.04. Interactive Brokers also released updated cost-of-execution data for its IBKR PRO clients, noting an average U.S. Reg-NMS stock trade size of $24,009 in February.  Total trading and execution costs amounted to roughly 1.3 basis points of traded value for the month, compared with a 12-month average of 2.4 basis points.The post Interactive Brokers Reports Strong February Growth, Client Activity Rises first appeared on LeapRate.

As Alfonso Cardalda, chief marketing officer at Exness, explains, “A healthy environment should not rely on a small percentage of consumers for a massive chunk of the company’s revenue.” Instead, he suggests a shift toward a more balanced, long-term strategy: “There is a right balance created by two factors, the revenue attribution to the P&L by consumer segments and the revenue coming from the geographical expansion, in both blocks you need a clear risk diversification strategy”  This is the direction brokerages are moving toward. Value over volume, client retention over constant turnover, and long-term relationships over short-term spikes. In a market where platforms increasingly look alike, trust becomes the deciding factor. The value-over-volume reality Not every trader contributes equally to a broker’s long-term health. For example, Exness has observed that a small segment of retail traders can generate over 50% of total trading volume in MENA. That insight reshapes more than marketing. “The entire product and trading ecosystem is vital for retention,” Cardalda states. “From superior conditions to the platform stability that generates trust; these are the elements that keep traders with you in the long term.”  This isn’t about exclusivity as a slogan. It’s about recognizing that experienced traders don’t want to be “converted.” They want to be respected. Trust is built in the moments that matter Trust is not created by branding. It is created by outcomes, especially when the stakes are high. Cardalda notes that many brokers rely on short-term incentives, which he calls the “champagne effect,” in which a user is temporarily retained by a cashback offer. However, he warns that this is a fragile strategy: “In the long run, when those traders experience other brokers with more stable platforms or better conditions, they realize where the real value is. That is when true retention happens.”  A trust-led approach shapes day-to-day engagement. Rather than relying on gamified prompts, brokers like Exness focus on engagement loops that foster confident, informed decision-making.  The human layer is not optional  In an increasingly automated world, human support is a key differentiator. “The human element is the most important factor,” Cardalda comments. “Not just from a communication standpoint, but in how we actually interact with our clients.”  One such initiative is Exness Team Pro, a roster of trading professionals who act as the face and voice of the trading community. By having world-class traders interact directly with the right audience, a broker can cut through the noise of “AI-generated content” and build something authentic.  Product superiority means fewer surprises, not more claims Overselling platforms is a common trap in the industry. Experienced traders, however, prefer fewer surprises over bigger promises. Cardalda states that “you have to position yourself on the drivers that actually matter to the trader. It always comes back to product quality. When you offer product superiority, you generate better acquisition and bulletproof retention for the long term.”  This philosophy begins with infrastructure. Ensuring platform stability and providing features like instant withdrawals are the baseline. When a trader knows their money is accessible and the platform is stable, they have a reason to stay.    The next brokerage model Put these pieces together, and the direction becomes clear. The next generation of brokers will look less like growth machines and more like long-term operators, selective about who they serve, relentless about reliability, and disciplined about transparency. “The trader experience is always the priority, even when scaling,” Cardalda says. “If we scale and lose quality, we backtrack.” In a market where attention is easy to buy, trust is the scarce asset. Brokers who understand this will not need tricks. They will have something far more valuable: traders who choose to stay.The post Why the future of brokerage belongs to trust, not tricks first appeared on LeapRate.

Safra Sarasin Group has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in Saxo Bank.  The transaction, which received approval from the FINMA and the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority, sees the Group acquire about 71% of Saxo Bank from Geely Financials Denmark, Mandatum Group and other shareholders. Founder Kim Fournais retains roughly 28%. The acquisition increases combined client assets to more than $460 billion and forms part of J. Safra Sarasin’s strategy to expand selectively into digital-enabled financial services.  The Group said the deal blends its banking stability with Saxo Bank’s fintech capabilities, positioning the combined business for long-term global growth. A substantial leadership reshuffle accompanies the transaction. Fournais will step down as CEO to become Chairman of Saxo Bank’s Board, while Daniel Belfer, currently CEO of Bank J. Safra Sarasin, will take over as Saxo Bank’s CEO. Elie Sassoon becomes CEO of Bank J. Safra Sarasin. Saxo Bank will also adopt a new governance structure. Henrik Juel Villberg becomes Deputy CEO, while Julio Carloto takes on the role of Chief Risk and Compliance Officer. The Board of Management will include Belfer, Villberg, Mads Dorf Petersen and Carloto. Jacob J. Safra, Chairman of J. Safra Sarasin Group, said the firms would “build on Saxo Bank’s pioneering spirit,” while Fournais described the deal as “a significant milestone” for the bank he founded in 1992.The post J. Safra Sarasin Completes Majority Stake Acquisition of Saxo Bank first appeared on LeapRate.