“It’s the Wild West, it’s very much early days still,” said Richard Johnson, a market-structure analyst at Greenwich Associates who specializes in blockchain.
In a new report, market consultancy Greenwich Associates focuses on the impact of regulation, relationships and electronic trading in the blossoming sector.
Institutional investors have been slower to embrace them, with only about one in five U.S. institutions currently investing in them, but that number is quickly increasing, according to Greenwich Associates, a financial-services research firm.
HDFC Bank was ranked number one among banks in India by Greenwich Associates from an annual study with CFOs and treasurers of 500 middle market and large companies.
What drives the trading desk decisions? According to 75% of fixed-income traders and sales professionals interviewed who work in US and European banks and regional brokers, the relationship is king.
“People on the sell-side will need to educate people on the buy-side in how to route trades and how to make the best use of all the venues available,” says Johnson. “Are you going to use a dark pool? Which systematic internalizer is best for this...
According to Greenwich Associates real-money investors and corp treasuries value best execution and price when it comes to choosing a dealer.
“In some ways electronic trading is the next best option to how they did things in the old days,” McPartland said. “They still might not love it, but they’re accepting it as it is and taking it at face value.”
Bank of America Corp., Barclays Plc and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. were most frequently cited as trading partners for Strips by institutional investors surveyed this year by Greenwich Associates, said James Borger.
According to a report out by Greenwich Associates, the market intelligence provider, the US equity brokerage business has declined by about 40% since 2008.
