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BRIGHT SPARKS

The latest opinions, interviews and stories from the experts at Spectrum.
Bright Sparks Cover

Welcome to the Bright Sparks blog. Here you will find commentary on the latest industry developments, key market trends, recent technology changes and what the future of retail trading holds. Written by the experienced and talented team members who shape Spectrum Markets and the future of retail trading.

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Since launch, we have continued to shape the market through a series of world firsts: from enabling trading through a single ISIN simultaneously across 10 European countries to launching intraday issuance; enabling customers to trade without borders and flexibly manage their portfolios. The Bright Sparks hub looks to give you access to the minds behind this innovation and their opinions on what the future holds.

threats to the orderly functioning tile

THREATS TO THE ORDERLY FUNCTIONING OF A NETWORK OF VENUES

The importance of trading venues for the financial system is a rather subliminal perception, at least most of the time.

6 Minute read

Alpay Soytürk

Covid Economics tile

COVID ECONOMICS: HERE TO STAY?

For a fleeting moment normality seems to have returned to our everyday lives, even if it will be some time until we can really consider the Covid-19 pandemic to be over.

10 Minute read

Nicky Maan

A_Brave_New_World_Pt3

A BRAVE NEW WORLD: T+2, T+1... T0? (PART 3/3)

How reflective this is of the realistic prospects of DLT-based systems in terms of the extent to which they will usurp existing technologies will surely differ between use cases and areas of application.

5 Minute read

Thibault Gobert

A_Brave_New_World_Pt2

A BRAVE NEW WORLD: THE RISE OF DLT MARKET INFRASTRUCTURES (PART 2/3)

On 24 September 2020, the European Commission (EC) adopted the “Digital Finance Package”, drafting Digital Finance and Retail Payments Strategies and proposing legislations on crypto assets and digital resilience.

5 Minute read

Thibault Gobert

A_Brave_New_World_Pt1

A BRAVE NEW WORLD: THE SETTLE MEN’S CLUB (PART I/3)

The Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR) is an impactful set of rules on the Central Securities Depositories themselves yet with implications on the wider industry.

7 Minute read

Thibault Gobert

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IS POST-BREXIT FINANCE TAKING SHAPE?

At the end of March, three months after Brexit and almost five years after the Brexit vote, the European Union (EU) and Britain reached their first agreement on cooperation on financial services.

6 Minute read

Alpay Soytürk

Interview with June Felix

"THE TREND TOWARDS SPECIALISATION CONTINUES”

In an exclusive interview, we speak to June Felix, CEO of IG Group on the challenges from a volatile 2020 to looking forward and how Spectrum Markets will continue to add value to the market.

5 Minute read

Interview on MTFs

MULTILATERAL TRADING FACILITIES (MTFs)

Why on-venue trading is the better alternative

3 Minute read

Commodities on the Rise

COMMODITIES ON THE RISE

One of the reasons so many traders eye commodities are the price swings that occur in these markets on a regular basis. Indeed, a lot of traders focus solely on commodities, hoping to benefit from market-moving events that may send prices up or down. Obviously, the spread of Covid-19 was such a market-moving event – and the disease continues to keep commodity traders around the world on their toes.

2 Minute read

Tobias Stöhr

The Euro Tile

THE EURO… A ROBUST RESERVE CURRENCY

What’s behind the strengthening of the euro?

3 Minute read

Tobias Stöhr

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