Charles River says cloud demand responsible for client surge
Investment management software provider Charles River has reported that it added 24 clients last year and extended its services to 14 existing customers due to strong demand for cloud-based solutions.
In 2013 Charles River has invested in enhancements to its cloud services offering and opened a manage services center in Dublin, Ireland, as well as improving portfolio management and trading capabilities across asset classes.
"Investment firms are taking advantage of SaaS-based systems so they can simplify operations and focus on core competencies," said Peter Lambertus, president and CEO, Charles River. "Charles River has evolved from a software vendor to a provider of a fully managed, end-to-end investment management solution.”
Cloud-based solutions have become popular over the past-year as firms seek flexible solutions that can adapt to a rapidly changing regulatory and business landscape.
BATS and Direct Edge reveal data centre plans
BATS Global Markets has announced it will use Equinix as its data centre provider for all BATS platforms, including those it acquired when it merged with Direct Edge in January.
Direct Edge’s EDGA and EDGX exchanges will remain at the Equinix NY4 data centre until January 2015 and will then migrate to its NY5 data centre. The BATS BZX and BYX venues will also be relocated to NY5 from their current home on NJ2 in Q2 2015.
“As we begin the integration of Direct Edge to the BATS technology, expanding our partnership with Equinix is a critical step for the expanded BATS Global Markets and, more importantly, our customers,” said Chris Isaacson, executive vice-president and global chief information officer, BATS.
Lucera launched demand-driven connectivity platform
Financial infrastructure specialist Lucera has launched its high-performance platform for financial institutions and high-frequency traders.
The platform offers high-speed connections to exchanges and other marketplaces while helping firms reduce the capital expense of building their own solution for connectivity.
Lucera customers will be able to scale the level of dedicated infrastructure they use from any of three data centres depending on need. Pricing is calculated month-to-month to enable them to test components and strategies without making a long-term commitment.
Jacob Loveless, CEO of Lucera, said: "Lucera was created to help customers address today’s expensive, complex and evolving infrastructure needs. Lucera’s platform currently operates out of New York, London and Chicago, enabling our customers to connect to multiple trading destinations fast, securely, and cost-effectively.”
SimCorp acquires reporting firm for €10 million
Asset management software provider SimCorp has acquired reporting software specialist Equipos.
The €10 million deal for UK-based Equipos will see its offering fully integrated within SimCorp and support its strategy of growing its single product platform, SimCorp Dimension. SimCorp already held a 20% stake in Equipos.
The Equipos Coric product enables investment management firms to improve their client service through better reporting and reduced operational risks and costs.
“Coric enables investment managers to present increasingly complex portfolio data to their clients quickly, professionally, and cost-effectively,” explained SimCorp CEO Klaus Holse. “That makes it a perfect match to our ambition of constantly providing up-to-date and modern solutions spanning the entire investment management value chain.”