Buy-side block trading trend boosts trading for Liquidnet in Asia

Liquidnet saw record trading volumes in the Asia-Pacific region as demand grows for block liquidity.

Liquidnet saw record trading volumes in 2016 in the Asia-Pacific region, amid growing demand for block trades amongst its buy-side members.

Trading volume surged 25% in 2016 compared to the year prior, with more than $32 billion principal traded in Asia for the year.

Throughout the year, Liquidnet launched trading tools in the region designed to help its buy-side members improve execution and performance during market volatility.

Targeted invitations were launched in April 2016 and allow members to seek out additional block liquidity by sending invitations anonymously within Liquidnet’s community.

Shortly after in June, the Next Gen Algo Suite was launched to enable members to tap into Liquidnet’s liquidity pool, whilst sourcing liquidity from both the lit and dark markets.

Lee Porter, head of Liquidnet in Asia, explained the focus for Liquidnet in 2017 will be on arming traders with tools and technology to navigate today’s challenging markets.

“As many firms in the region are retrenching, we are committed to creating new ways to help traders enhance their decision making and deliver even more value and performance to their funds and their firms,” he said.

In Europe earlier this month, Liquidnet hired industry veteran Dan Squires as a sales director focusing on hedge funds.

The hire signals Liquidnet’s intentions to provide hedge funds with best execution and large-in-scale waiver compliance ahead of MiFID II.

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