Liquidnet joins Plato Partnership as Strategic Partner

By Gloria Methri

Plato Partnership, the not-for-profit member organisation bringing creative solutions and efficiencies to the equity marketplace, has admitted Liquidnet, the technology-driven, agency execution specialist, as its inaugural Strategic Partner.

Liquidnet brings a wealth of experience in capital markets to the partnership. As a Strategic Partner, the company will actively participate in three of Plato’s core initiatives:

• Plato Strategic Initiatives Group aims to identify issues and opportunities to improve equity market structure. In co-operation with industry providers, the Group develops a range of solutions to benefit all market participants.
• Plato’s Market Innovator (MI3) program identifies key challenges facing the marketplace and sponsors independent academic research to help solve them. This includes identifying better ways of executing trades, lowering costs, and improving the quality of processes required to support the execution lifecycle.
• Turquoise Plato Expert Group aims to deliver market model enhancements to improve equity block liquidity and deliver increased efficiencies in anonymous equity block trading.

Chris Jackson, Global Head of Equity Strategy and Head of EMEA Equities at Liquidnet said, “At Liquidnet, we are big supporters of the work that Plato is doing to help the investment community navigate our evolving markets. We have always focused on applying technology to make financial markets more efficient and we are looking forward to working with Turquoise, the buy and sell side members of the Plato group to bring solutions to the industry’s most difficult challenges.”

Mike Bellaro, CEO of Plato Partnership, said, “Plato is committed to innovation, and the admission of Liquidnet as a Strategic Partner is a major innovation for our Partnership. As the first electronic liquidity specialist (ELS) to join, Chris and the team at Liquidnet hold a truly unique perspective on the marketplace and significant untapped potential. We are thrilled to have their extensive expertise and strategic insights on board to help propel our strategic initiatives.”