Sell-Side Technology Awards 2022: Best sell-side front-office platform—FIS

OVERVIEW

Market participants are looking for efficiency gains, lower total cost of operation and fresh ways to generate and sustain new business. The future sell-side front office is an integrated front office, with a technology layer that connects the full trading lifecycle, from execution to order and risk management. The flexibility to scale and take on new modules and features if and when needed is what FIS’s sell-side clients are looking for.

THE SOLUTION

FIS Cross Asset Trading and Risk (formerly Front Arena) delivers the above with innovative technology for cross-asset trading, risk and position management, and portfolio life cycle management in a single, integrated platform. FIS has invested in its flagship front-office solution to offer the advantage of web-based, fully integrated trading, with operational management and risk management for all traded products: liquid and illiquid, OTC and exchange-traded, digital assets (including crypto), standardized and structured, all in real time.

The FIS Cross Asset Trading and Risk platform integrates a number of disparate functions, including:

• Order management
• Sales and distribution
• Trading
• Risk management
• Settlement and accounting

WHAT’S TO COME

FIS will continue to invest in: 

• Crypto: FIS is aiming to become the market leader in connecting the world of digital assets to the traditional capital markets. Through new FIS technology, key fintech partnerships and a team focused on building out digital asset capabilities, FIS is bridging the gap between crypto and the traditional economy.
• Data: Enhancements to data services for efficient data management, analysis and insights
• ESG capabilities: FIS climate risk and sustainability risk technologies for ESG compliance

WHY THEY WON

Few third-party technology providers, if any, are able to match the sheer breadth and depth of functionality offered by FIS. The firm’s FIS Cross Asset Trading and Risk platform is a case in point: It supports order management, sales and distribution, trading, risk management, and settlement and accounting functionality, all within a single, integrated front-office platform. What’s more, FIS has a track record of providing outstanding solutions dating back to the early 1990s, making it the logical choice for large numbers of sell-side firms.