Conference Dailys TRADETech FX Daily 2019: Wrap-up | Page 6
THETRADETECHFX DA I LY
key takeaways
TAKEAWAYS
TradeTech FX Europe 2019:
The key takeaways
THIS YEAR’S TRADETECH FX EUROPE CONFERENCE HAS CLOSED ITS DOORS AND THE STANDS HAVE BEEN PACKED AWAY, BUT
THERE WAS PLENTY TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE DISCUSSION PANELS, KEYNOTE SPEECHES AND WORKING GROUPS ACROSS THE
TWO DAYS IN BARCELONA. WHETHER YOU STAYED UNTIL THE VERY END OR WERE UNABLE TO MAKE IT THIS YEAR, HERE ARE
SOME OF THE KEY TALKING POINTS FROM THIS YEAR’S EVENT.
Automate what you can
One of the most popular talking points at this
year’s conference was automation; after all
this is, ultimately, a technology event. While
automating the workflows and processes in
the back- and middle-offices are hardly a new
concept, or much to get excited about quite
frankly, it is now starting to make headway
into the execution space.
Panelists from the buy-side, sell-side and
tech vendors seemed to share the consensus
that automation is now beginning to creep
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THETRADETECHFX DAILY
Wrap-up
into the decision-making arena. While au-
tomation means different things to different
firms, it was acknowledged that it represents
a refinement of processes and a continuation
of efficiencies, something that many firms are
now prepping their execution desks for. The
“at-trade” element is ripe for evolution and
automation appears to be the main method
of doing so, freeing traders and dealers up
to focus on more intricate tasks that require
varied skillsets or experience.
The immediate concern when it comes
to front-office automation, and one that is
raised any time talks turns to artificial intel-
ligence, is that of the relationship between
increasing automation and the future of the
front-office human. It seems an obvious
answer but the trader skillset and approach
to the role will have to change alongside the
way in which business is conducted; that’s no
different from the emergence of electronic
trading or other examples of technological
development throughout the history of the
capital markets. There will be some that