Plato Partnership, the not-for-profit company bringing real innovation to today’s European equites marketplace, is excited to announce that T. Rowe Price, Allianz Global Investors, Schroders, Credit Suisse International and Exane BNP Paribas are now members of the Partnership.

As five of the leading players in the modern equities marketplace, the participation of these new joiners marks the end of a milestone year for Plato Partnership. In 2019, Plato forged new partnerships with two best-in-class data providers, BMLL Technologies and Babelfish Analytics, and brought AIR Summit to London, a unique annual conference connecting the European buyside with cutting-edge players in Alphatech from across the globe.

Plato will carry this momentum into 2020 as they continue their mission to bring improved market structure and greater efficiency to the European marketplace through collaboration, discussion and transparency.

Members of Plato Partnership commit their time and expertise to driving forward Plato initiatives.

Plato Partnership’s ongoing development is driven by three key working groups: the Turquoise Plato Expert Group, Market Innovator (MI3), and the Plato Strategic Initiatives Group. All members are dedicated to supporting one of these groups.

Mike Bellaro, CEO, Plato Partnership, said: “Today we welcome five of the world’s most respected firms to our Partnership, from both the buy-side and sell-side. Their participation in helping us realise our vision for improved market practices across Europe marks a huge milestone for Plato. We will now take the momentum built in 2019 through into this year, as we continue to work towards a better marketplace for all participants and end investors alike.”

“Plato Partnership is committed to giving back to the marketplace, providing both a forum and the necessary tools for all market participants to enhance their performance. The launch of Platometrics last year helped to provide a clearer view of market trends across regulatory boundaries, free of charge, while our Plato ClarityReveal, in collaboration with Babelfish, will inject much needed innovation into the European trade routing space when it goes live later this year.”

Jeremy Ellis, T. Rowe Price International Ltd, said: “T. Rowe Price International is excited to now be a part of Plato Partnership. We have always prioritised the development of improved trade execution as well as identifying new sources of liquidity from a diverse list of participants. We are confident that the forum for market collaboration enabled by Plato and its partners will bolster and boost our own processes while allowing us to contribute positively to discussions in the wider marketplace.”

Eric Boess, Allianz Global Investors, said: “We are delighted to join Plato Partnership and collaborate on its projects to build a better financial ecosystem. Allianz Global Investors shares Plato’s values and vision on the actions that need to be taken to make today’s equity market as efficient and innovative as possible.”

Gregg Dalley, Schroders, said: “Schroders is looking forward to working with Plato Partnership, alongside fellow asset managers and broker dealers. We have no doubt that, through this collaboration, we can help enhance European equities markets and improve the trading experience for the benefit of all market participants, on both buy and sell-side.”

Irina Sonich-Bright, Credit Suisse International, said: “Credit Suisse International is pleased to announce that it has joined the Plato Partnership and looks forward to engaging in the range of 2020 initiatives that will hopefully bring effective innovations to the European market.”

Thomas Bourgeois, Exane BNP Paribas, said: “In joining the Plato Partnership, Exane believes that the community of buy- and sell-side firms will allow us to better understand the challenges we face across the equities marketplace. We hope that the experience and expertise we bring to the table will allow us to contribute to Plato’s research and development so that we can play a part in improving the market for the whole industry.”

Source: Plato