Following the launch last month of its Vantage Connect liquidity service from the company’s FCA regulated operation in London, we thought that it would be a good time to speak with Vantage’s UK CEO David Shayer. Here is what he had to say.

FNG: Hi David, and thanks for joining us today. Please let us know a little more about Vantage Connect, and what you’ll be offering.

David: Vantage Connect is Vantage’s UK institutional and corporate offering, for institutional traders, including hedge funds, family offices, banks, brokers, money managers and asset managers.

Vantage Connect allows these institutional clients to manage volatility effectively and make the most of market opportunities by leveraging Vantage’s deep liquidity pool to buy and sell complex assets quickly.

The offering is customised depending on what the clients’ needs are across the full range of Vantage’s services, including in-house built risk management and their unique PAMM (percentage allocation management module). It is quick and secure, as clients can easily plug into the service via an API, ensuring speed to market, and are protected under Vantage’s FCA license.

FNG: Vantage has been operating as a successful Retail FX and CFDs broker for quite a long time now (more than 10 years, correct?), from several jurisdictions globally. Is there much of a transition necessary as you add institutional products and services – in terms of personnel, management, technology, marketing?

David: Vantage was founded in 2009, so have been a CFD platform for nearly 14 years. We operate in several jurisdictions globally, and in the UK in particular, we have had a licence with the FCA since 01/07/2013. We have had a great deal of retail success, which really took off after our rebrand in November 2021. As part of this strategic rebranding, we have been working on an institutional offering in the UK for some time. We’ve recently made a senior hire to lead up the institutional sales team and have spent the necessary time and resources to ensure that we have the right product offering, custom trading solutions and technology to help our institutional clients make the most of trading opportunities.

FNG: The market for B2B trading and liquidity services to brokers and professional traders has become increasingly crowded and competitive lately. How do you intend to differentiate Vantage Connect? What are your main selling points, when talking to a potential client?

David: Our ability to be nimble is what sets us apart. We are a large business but are able to personalise our solutions and offer customisable products to fit into our clients’ trading preferences, whatever they are. We can also do so quickly and securely because we use APIs, so speed to market is hours not months. Ultimately though, we have a very experienced team in the space and have a great track record.

As mentioned, security is a big selling point of ours, as it’s so important to our clients. They want secure access to trading platforms, and especially when dealing with institutional clients as compared to retail clients, the volume of money rises exponentially. The protection of funds is extremely important, and we segregate all monies and do not use TTCA (Title Transfer Collateral Arrangements, the use of which the FCA issued a Dear CEO letter back in 2020.

FNG: How do you see the FX and CFDs brokerage business changing lately. And how is Vantage Connect positioned to deal with these changes?

David: The last few years has seen consolidation across the market, which raises the standard of FX and CFD brokerages, removing the ‘bad actors’ that can sometimes give the industry a bad name. It allows the serious long-term players to gain a bigger foothold in the market, all with the intention of making the industry a safer and securer place for trading, both across the retail and institutional side.

We have built up a strong retail audience, which we will continue to grow, but with high current market volatility, we are constantly on the lookout for where there is demand for trading services like ours.  And a key move is building up our institutional offering, with the launch of Vantage Connect. As the regulators begin to look more seriously at the dealings of FX and CFD brokerages, Vantage Connect is well positioned to deal with this as a regulated broker across a multi asset offering.

FNG: What else can we expect to hear from Vantage Connect, in the coming months?

David: Over the past couple of years in the UK, the team has focused on extremely quick growth on the retail side. We were the fastest growing CFD broker in the UK last year. So now we have launched the institutional side, we plan to match that rapid growth. That will a huge focus of ours in 2023 and beyond. To drive that growth though, we are developing exciting products and expanding our range of services to meet the demand of new clients. We’ll also be building our institutional teams, ramping up sales and marketing to ensure we can keep up with momentum and bring the same success that we have had on the retail side. I couldn’t be more excited to see what 2023 has in store for us.