Financial Regulatory Forum

By Kevin Lim and Adrian Bathgate

SINGAPORE/WELLINGTON, Aug 17 (Reuters) – “Dark pools” and other alternative trading systems are not as big a threat to Asia’s bourses as they are for their western counterparts, given regulators’ reluctance to grant them a free reign and due to structural differences in markets.

Dark pools, so named because they represent large pools of “buy” and “sell” orders not visible to regular investors, operate relatively freely and match billions of dollars in stock transactions each day in the west.

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By Huw Jones and Jane Baird

LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) – British, Dutch and Swiss market watchdogs have agreed conditions to end a ban on clearing linkages, which could spur competition and cut fees in Europe’s stock market, industry officials said on Friday.

Share trading platforms like Chi-X and BATS want clearing houses to share markets, so that these venues can offer multiple clearers and strengthen their ability to compete with exchanges such as Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext by bringing down transaction fees.

The worst financial crisis since the 1930s prompted regulators to slam the brakes on a string of applications from clearers to hook up with one another.