Is your brokerage ready for 2021? Use our checklist to find out

Author: Ivan Egorov

The new year is a great time to turn your business around and step up your game. We prepared a list of things that we believe any modern brokerage needs to have in 2021.

Flexibility in your setup

Having no choice is so last year! Flexibility and customisation is key today. Clients expect that their technology partners will listen to them, create unique solutions, and help adapt their products to clients’ environments. Brokers that provide options will outplay those who pose restrictions.

A/B-book risk management

Last year showed us what real madness looks like. If you have not yet, we highly recommend considering an A/B risk-management tool that can protect your clients and you from high market volatility. It will help maximise profits and minimise losses.

Robust setup

Nobody likes when the service they need is offline, even for a minute. In the world of trading, clients suffer losses from the slightest delays, so there is really no excuse to neglect your services’ availability. When running the next system review, make sure you ask yourself: How stable is my setup? What happens if the load on the server rapidly goes up? What happens if my LP is down or rejects the order?

Tools to offer the best pricing for clients

Volume consolidation splits large volume orders into smaller ones and executes them over time. Different aggregation modes help customise the execution for each individual client.

Real-time data monitoring

What is the point in having loads of data if it does not work for you? Many brokers still underestimate the value that real-time data tracking and analysis bring. With today’s technology, there is no excuse not to use it.

Alerts will tell you about potentially harmful events and help prevent losses. Automated reports will save time and enhance internal evaluations and planning. Dashboards make data easy to understand.

Client protection tools

Trading is a high-risk venture. Traders are responsible for their own decisions and profits resulting from their strategies. However, brokers are expected to have solutions in place that would protect traders’ finances. We recommend looking at solutions that notify traders upon reaching a certain margin level, tools that would track equity levels and close all orders once a certain threshold was reached, or the products that prevent traders from having negative balance and, therefore, protecting the broker.

These are just some of the examples. There are, of course, many more solutions and scenarios that have to be thought through.

Automation

Automation is arguably one of the most important points in our list. Automation means cost reduction, saved time, fewer errors, and a peace of mind. There are most likely labour-intensive tasks in your company that you would like to outsource. If you are not sure what else can be automated in your company, it will help to speak to a few consultants that you trust. Most of the time, there are processes that brokers do not even consider that take up resources and can be easily automated.

Tools for Brokers is an award-winning technology provider for retail brokers. We offer an ecosystem of products designed for brokerages of all sizes. If you are interested in implementing new solutions for your business, please email us at sales@t4b.com to speak with our team.