Financial software provider smartTrade Technologies is spearheading its expansion into Asia with the opening of a new office in Tokyo, Japan.
The inauguration of its Japanese office is part of a move by smartTrade to increase its footprint in the region and develop its Asian client base, in expectation of further demand for electronic trading services. The firm has stated that the new office will be staffed by people experienced in the Japanese market.
“The opening of our Tokyo office was a natural step for us as we continue to roll out our global multi-asset liquidity management system,” commented Harry Gozlan, CEO and founder of smartTrade Technologies.
Established in 1999 by former IT and trading professionals from Citigroup, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale, smartTrade Technologies provides cross-asset liquidity management software for banks, broker-dealers, asset managers and large hedge funds.
Gozlan believes that the Asian market is catching up fast with the structural changes that have already taken place in Europe and the US and says that Japan will play a leading role in the future development of electronic trading in the region. “As the Asian capital markets continue their rapid growth, the demand for advanced electronic trading technology and for sophisticated relationships between the US, Europe and Asia will continue to grow. Markets are becoming more electronic, and firms need to prepare for that. Our enhanced presence in Tokyo will help facilitate this growth, and enable us to serve the needs of our customers throughout Asia,” he said.
Gozlan also cites the concentration of large banks and brokers in Tokyo for the location of smartTrade's main presence in Asia. “Why Japan? We are well used to dealing with well-capitalised firms. We are adapted to large institutions, and the Japanese market is more suited in terms of banking structure, in the same way as London or New York, compared to Hong Kong or Singapore,” he said.
The Tokyo office joins the company's existing offices in New York, London, Paris and Aix en Provence, France.