• Fragmentation - experiences with new trading venues
• Desk - how have buy side trading desks changed in the algodominated, post-MiFID environment?
• Exchanges - what are we looking for from exchanges moving forward?

MifID has finally provided the framework in Europe to make the customer’s desire for competition in the exchange industry a reality. In this session we discover what the customers are demanding and how the new market entrants can satisfy their diverse needs. ‘One size fits all’ is now officially dead.

• What prompted the proliferation of mergers, alliances and acquisitions?
• Reviewing the rationale behind consolidation of exchanges and how this will shape future businesses in the financial markets
• Is expansion to markets beyond country borders the main driving force?

Larger, better integrated exchanges make many promises, but do they deliver? In addition to capturing operational efficiencies that benefit shareholders, how do they create value for their customers? Is it through more liquidity, broader product lines, lower costs, better technology? In the wake of merger activity, we discover how to overcome the challenges in order to capitalize on the opportunities offered by integration.

The revolutionary, exciting, quick and non-pressurised way to meet fellow conference delegates and industry peers in a forty minute session. These brief meetings are the starting point for conversation and networking throughout the conference. This is where long lasting and fruitful relationships begin.

• How to overcome regulatory obstacles to new product development 
•  What are the new product opportunities created by technology advances? 
• Assessing the rise in popularity and role of index funds in an exchange business

• Analysing the index fund successes and failures
• Examining the objectives and developments of index funds
• Reviewing the process for approving new ETFs and preparing the market

The technical, operational and structural systems underlying the Spanish market today have resulted in significant growth in its activity and importance. What lessons can be learned from the Spanish experience for your exchange?

What opportunities exist for exchanges to attract new business? Is it through new asset classes, new products, international access, pricing? Can superior technology still be the differentiator? We will lean how one exchange maintains its competitive edge in the constantly evolving market environment.

• Tactics for tapping into new markets 
• Which new trading products will create a desirable destination for capital? 
• Understanding key potential sectors such as consumer products,water treatment, shipping, property & biotechnology
• Listing financial derivatives, exchange traded funds, REITS, futures
• How to ensure that the benefits of listing on your exchange are worth the costs

• Opportunities and challenges created by evolving exchange technology
• Can order matching be achieved in milliseconds, and what will that mean for our clients?
• The commoditisation of technology and the impact upon the exchange
• Managing technology relies on reliable, scalable, and real-time platforms with virtually zero latency – how is this achieved?

• What are potential systemic problems if SWFs assume a greater role in markets?
• As these funds are blended with the massive pool of private capital, is tracking the sovereign wealth funds impossible?
• Could a sudden portfolio adjustment by a single institution have significant price effects on certain asset classes?
• Will best practice disclosure standards recommended by multilateral lending organizations allay concerns over political versus commercial agendas?

• An analysis of the changes competitive landscape
• How have the requirements for pre and pist trade transparency played out?
• How has MiFID promoted innovation?

• Growth drivers of volume and profitability
• Aligning exchanges with the needs of the local and global economies
• Finding the right ownership structure to meet the needs of all stakeholders

• Have flow providers been able to guarantee best execution within the meaning of the MiFID?
• How do best execution targets differ across trades?
• Is transparency achieved by calculating fees at the order placement stage?
• Will MiFID/RegMNS-like regulations come into play globally?

• How to exploit DMA to tap into global liquidity from one efficient entry point
• How to evaluate competing brokers and technology vendors with their SOR solutions
• How you position your trading desk to take advantage of tomorrow's algorithmic solutions
• Why human and intellectual capital is more important then ever

• If competition leads to lower prices and more innovation, why do incumbent exchanges continue to advocate consolidation?
• The Humpty Dumpty theorists of market micro-structure, how to understand the power of smart routers 
• Size matters in post MiFID markets, capacity and speed selectively establish the new 'yellowstripe'

• The buy-side look like the sell-side – do looks deceive?
• Has the broker become the technology provider?
• How are sell-side traders innovating in their new found role?

• Is a true global institutional marketplace possible?
• Does one solution fit all or will it be regional markets versus global markets?
• Will the institutional market operate side by side with retail?

• To what extend have the different trading techniques to source dark liquidity yielded success?
• How many dark pools are there room for – who will be winners and losers?
• What are the key issues around anonymity?

• Are match rates limited and what does this mean for the trader?
• How can multiple dark pools be linked?
• Utility or consortium approach vs. independent crossing networks

• How fast have I got to trade versus how much impact am I going to have? 
• Incorporating news feeds directly into algorithms’ execution logic – a reality? 
• Is this symptomatic of the evolution of the sell-side trader’s role?

• M&A and investment bank activity in the hedge fund sector
• Valuations, growth strategies and business models
• Implications for clients, counterparties and competitors

• As CTA/managed futures get bigger, are they in danger of cannibalising themselves? 
• More players, less return?
• High frequency trades – what do mangers need to know?
• How can algo execution on exchanges minimise slippage?

• Attract new IPOs
• Catalyse organic growth  
• Create regional common indexes
• Establish dual listing arrangements
• Raise funds for mergers and acquisitions
• Advance from the emerging market funds to the courting the big investment houses
• Launch alternative markets for small/medium companies to bolster attractiveness to international investors

‘Private exchanges’ have emerged as the hottest topic in not just the exchanges space, but in the private equity and hedge fund arenas too. Unregistered securities are traded by ‘qualified institution

• Raising capital without the disclosure requirements of public markets
• Does it make sense to go to Institutional then retail?

• Why have private exchanges come onto the scene and who uses them? 
• How have they been affected by the globalization of the Capital Markets?
• Do private exchanges provide a sufficient investor pool to achieve cost effective valuations and appropriate liquidity?

• Initial Private Listing process – how it works
• Understanding the nuances of accounting regulations for international institutional investors

• Discussing the balancing act between an open system and regulatory compliance
•  Highlighting best practices for managing shareholder tracking