Ed Wood, trader, Ninety One
In 2026, the buy-side trader will have to start thinking smarter. Tools like automation are no longer a nice-to-have, they are a necessity to stay competitive. Traders will have to start making smarter venue selection.
Because ‘we’ve always done it this way’, is no longer an acceptable response. Cost pressure, internal oversight, and best execution scrutiny are driving desks to justify each trade’s journey, as well as demanding venues offer smarter solutions.
That comes from traders engaging with the venues, along with the desire and willingness to be adventurous. Risk taking is not just for risk takers anymore.
We should all be asking ourselves, why do we do it this way? How can we get better outcomes for our clients? And what are our peers doing that we’re not?
Traders are evolving into micro-optimisers, but optimisation is a continuous process. As desks feel the need to adapt in 2026, traders need to be able to stay up to date and stay relevant.
Those that do, and become venue product experts, will sail to the front of the flotilla. Those that stay doing things ‘the way we’ve always done it’ will fall to the back and could struggle to compete in rougher seas.
Colette Garcia, global head of enterprise data real-time content, Bloomberg
As financial markets become increasingly automated and data-driven, the next frontier is event-aware automation – the ability to interpret, react to, and even anticipate market-moving events in real time.
In 2026, firms will increasingly combine structured, real-time events data from earnings, macroeconomic indicators, and corporate actions with automated execution and pricing workflows.
The shift from simple data consumption to continuous, machine-readable awareness of what is happening at any moment will redefine how trading desks manage risk, source liquidity, and capture fleeting opportunities.
With compressed settlement cycles and heightened regulatory demands (T+1 now live in the US, with Europe expected to follow in 2027), latency will no longer be measured in milliseconds alone but in decision readiness. The ability to dynamically adapt trading algorithms, risk models, and portfolio valuations the moment a catalyst breaks will be a key competitive differentiator.
Advancements in cloud delivery, API-first design, and cross-venue integration are making this real-time, event-aware ecosystem a practical reality.
As automation expands across asset classes from fixed income and FX to commodities and derivatives, real-time intelligence is set to become the core of the modern front office.
Daniel Carpenter, chief executive, Meritsoft
Capital markets will be tested in the coming years as exchanges and policymakers aim to attract more retail investors.
Exchanges are weighing the move towards round-the-clock trading and European policymakers are focused on unlocking retail savings through the Savings and Investments Union.
These initiatives could boost market volume and value, but there are concerns that legacy post-trade infrastructure may struggle to keep pace. Corporate actions tied to market close would require new cut-off conventions, for example.
T+1 implementation plans demonstrate just how demanding and resource-intensive such modernisation can be. Extending to a 24-hour trading model would likely require comparable levels of investment.
As trading volumes rise, there is a risk of increased settlement fails. Market participants will need to further automate their settlement operations, introduce predictive capabilities that can identify at-risk trades so as to enable rapid resolution and prevent costly fails.
If these broader market ambitions become a reality, the coming year could mark a significant evolution in global capital markets, with post-trade infrastructure needing to adapt at pace to meet new demands.
Jason Quinn, chief product officer, global head of sales, Trumid
Automation is shifting from an efficiency play to a real strategic advantage, and we believe it will be one of the defining themes of 2026. Traders are increasingly looking for tools that simplify complex workflows and help them execute with greater speed and precision.
What’s encouraging is how quickly the market is leaning in. We’re seeing higher velocity of trading and growing electronic engagement as clients confidently adopt tech-enabled liquidity solutions.
E-credit portfolio trading, particularly in high yield, also reached new highs this year, signaling a market ready for deeper automation. Participants are moving from experimenting to truly scaling their use of automated tools.
As we look ahead, I expect systematic strategies and algorithmic trading to play a larger role in daily activity, while digitisation continues to reshape how liquidity is sourced, priced, and executed.
The real question is where automation goes next. Can we imagine a world of ‘unattended’ trading, where systems are entrusted to work orders across multiple credit protocols? Intelligent automation moves us closer to that future by augmenting human decision-making and expanding access to liquidity opportunities.
With more trading flowing through digital, data-rich channels, we remain constructive on market activity and innovation in the year ahead.