Fintech vendor NEX has partnered with China Foreign Exchange Trade System, China’s interbank market trading platform and infrastructure provider, to launch CFETS FX2017, a next-generation trading platform for the Chinese foreign exchange market.

Having selected NEX to deliver the underlying technology for the new services in June 2016, CFETS launched the first phase of FX2017 with a central limit order book platform for spot onshore Chinese renminbi (CNY) on December 4, 2017. An anonymous execution capability for the Chinese market, market participants will have access to a central pool of liquidity and a public reference point for spot CNY pricing.

CFETS went live with phase two of FX2017 on February 5, 2018, launching a next-generation relationship-based platform for CNY trading of spot, forwards, and swaps.

Through this disclosed, bi-lateral trading model Liquidity Consumers can choose from a full range of bank and non-bank Liquidity Providers to access tailored executable streaming prices. On the first day of trading, 480 institutions logged on to the new platform with 307 institutions conducting deals. Inter-bank FX market turnover was $62.8 billion. The average daily volume in the first week of trading was consistently high and the new platform remained robust and stable.

The launch of FX2017 is significant as it supports the expansion and evolution of the domestic renminbi market. The next-generation technology offers a multi-execution, low-latency environment that will encourage a sustainable and healthy ecosystem for its participants.

Leveraging the underlying technology behind NEX Markets’ EBS platforms, NEX supported the development of FX2017 leveraging its established and robust infrastructure capabilities, unique seamless and integrated trading technology, proven innovation and development of products, and deep knowledge of international markets.

Madam Zhang Yi, President of CFETS, said: “The launch of FX2017 is a major upgrade of our financial trading infrastructure. It effectively ensures the safe, stable and efficient operation of the inter-bank foreign exchange market, enforcing the pricing power of the domestic Chinese market and opening it up to the global foreign exchange market.”

Michael Spencer, Group Chief Executive Officer of NEX, said: “NEX has a strong track record of innovation in financial markets technology and I am pleased that we have been able to work with our longstanding partners CFETS, to launch a public market for CNY spot FX and a next-generation disclosed trading platform for CNY spot, forwards and swaps. This is a significant milestone in the development of the domestic FX market, and we will continue to support our CFETS partners as they roll-out further phases and we explore further partnership opportunities in the future.”