MTS achieves record buy-side trading activity on its BondsPro US platform

2017-03-13
  • Over 800 unique traders executed business in 2016 as MTS BondsPro ecosystem continues to grow
  • 60 new buy-side users have joined MTS BondsPro as result of recent Bloomberg TSOX partnership
  • Buy-side volumes increase 180% in 2017, setting new record since MTS acquisition in 2014 

MTS Markets, part of London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), has experienced a record increase in buy-side trading volumes on its MTS BondsPro corporate bond trading platform since the start of the year. Buy-side trading activity in 2017 has almost tripled since the same period in 2016, representing the highest levels ever recorded on the platform.

MTS BondsPro is an all-to-all trading model that has grown increasingly popular as institutions have looked to innovative technology solutions to overcome liquidity challenges in the corporate bond market. Over 800 traders executed on this MTS platform in 2016 and the ecosystem of both buy- and sell-side firms continues to grow. In February 2017 the platform recorded its highest overall weekly trading volume since MTS acquisition in 2014.

The growth was driven in part by MTS and Bloomberg’s collaborative alliance enabling corporate bonds in the BondsPro liquidity pool to be traded directly from the Bloomberg TSOX terminal. Over 60 new buy-side traders have gained access to MTS BondsPro as a result of this initiative, which was announced in June of 2016.

David Parker, Head of US Sales at MTS Markets, said:

“MTS BondsPro is building momentum as we continue to respond to credit liquidity challenges with innovative technology and new partnerships. Our all-to-all model connects a broad community of buy-side and sell-side participants, allowing them to act as either price maker or price taker and significantly enhance trading opportunities. We strive to be an essential component of the modern market structure.”

Anthony Perrotta, Jr., CEO of TABB Group, added:

“Institutional buy-side traders are increasingly adopting executable pricing protocols into their daily workflows. More than 40% of the institutional corporate bond traders interviewed for our upcoming 2017 buy-side trading IBS were documented with at least two or more executable pricing platforms, representing a 42.8% increase from 2015.”

BondsPro is an electronic platform that offers access to liquidity and real-time execution on an anonymous, all-to-all order book, supporting trading of a wide range of corporate bonds and emerging market debt.