Though strong relationships remain relevant, the role of the sell-side is set to evolve as AI and automation increasingly gains pace across FX markets, said senior buy-siders speaking at TradeTech FX in Amsterdam on Tuesday.

The TRADE sits down with Joseph Forde, FX trader at Brown Brothers Harriman, to unpack the FX liquidity landscape and how analytics is increasingly enabling traders to make dynamic routing decisions while retaining human judgement.

With a growing number of senior traders and heads of desk turning to outsourced trading firms as an alternative to the traditional career ladder, Natasha Cocksedge unpacks what is driving this migration, what outsourced providers value most from buy- and sell-side hires, and key outsourced misconceptions which must be addressed.

SI activity has held strong at 18% of volume amid regulation such as Mifid II and the DVC regime, while lit trading constitutes approximately 53% of volume across the Continent, according to a recent Bloomberg Intelligence study.

Antonia Oddin, head of trading at Banque Eric Sturdza, sits down with Claudia Preece to share her journey to the desk, highlighting the most impactful lessons learnt over a quarter of a century in the game. The conversation spans a deep dive into the intricacies behind building an integrated multi-asset trading desk, unpacking the importance of staying open-minded in a rapidly changing industry, and why human expertise will remain a critical differentiator in the future of trading.

Following a month full of significant mergers and acquisitions from top players across the industry, The TRADE reflects on this wave of activity and unpacks what the deals mean for the broader market going forward.

Despite 98% of technology leaders from UK asset and wealth managers already engaging in widespread implementation, only 12% have noted a significant impact of AI on their business and operations, according to a recent survey.

The TRADE catches up with Peder Viervoll, head of quantitative trading at Norges Bank Investment Management, to explore how AI, modern infrastructure, and workflow automation are enabling buy-side trading desks to shift from costly, large-scale transformations to faster, talent-driven, and highly collaborative incremental improvements that enhance efficiency and decision-making.

Former Rising Star of Trading and Execution, Maxence Boniol, head of execution trading at Greenwich Dealing, caught up with Natasha Cocksedge, to unpack his career journey so far, and discuss key factors shaping the buy-side and the wider industry, from technology and AI to bouts of market volatility.