TRADERVOICE TECHNOLOGY This magazine examines Trader Voice's evolving technology and move towards the Cloud. We alsofocusheavilyonAIandhowitisusedwithin all technologies, including Data Analysis and Collaboration. The idea of starting this Trader Voice magazine was primarily based around my first experience of a Trading floor in 1987. I had no clue as to what these people were doing, but what I could see was how focused, intuitive and welldressedtheyallwere.Theyraisedtheirvoice I presumed in accordance with seniority whenever they felt like it but they had a progressive charisma that made me want to learnmoreaboutTrading.
Seven years later (1994), I would be forced to learn in detail what these traders actually did. I was thrown into the deep end when Barings Bank collapsed, having to look after 400 traders once we had moved them into a shiny new trading floor. I've been mainly involved with Trading floor technology for the past 35 years and so decided to share this vibrant technology spacewithyouall.
Ash’s Tech History- Part 1 As this is the launch of "Trader Voice Technology magazine, I thought I'd fill up some pages with what has shaped our technological landscape and I guess brought us to 2025 (Pages 2, 26, 34 and 58)
The culture and technology exploded in the 1970's, setting the stage for some of the most advanced products today. Infact, technology and new products were churned out at a record rate in the seventies.
Companies like Apple, IBM and Sony began to shape the way pop culture thought about computers and even data storage.
Intel released the first programmable microprocessor to the market which was the start of software developers accelerating their code for graphics and CPU's.
IBM began selling floppy disks and associated drives in the early 70's with 5.25 and 3.5 inch disks which could allow operating systems to be loaded.
The creation of the Walkman was a pop culture movement and would weave itself into the 1980's.
Ray Tomlinson sent the first email in 1971 which was the start of all electronic communication and probably the driver for text and chat today.
Space Invaders, the Japanese shooting video game was released It was developed by Tomohiro Nishikado, who was inspired by other media: Breakout, The War of the Worlds, and Star Wars.
London Thesebeautifulbuildings werewheretheFinance industrystartedaround theworldwithTheRoyal ExchangeinLondonbeing openedbyElizabethIin 1571.Strangelyenough, duringthe17thCentury, stockbrokerswerenot allowedinsidetheRoyal Exchangeduetotheirrude mannerssoconducted theirbusinessinanearby vicinity,notably, Jonathan’scoffeehouse. Atthiscoffeehouse,a brokernamedJohn Caistingstartedlistingthe pricesofafew commoditiessuchassalt, coal,paperandexchange rates.Asstocksgrew,with newcompaniesjoiningto raisecapital,theroyal courtalsoraisedsome monies.Thesearethe earliestevidenceof organisedtradingin marketablesecuritiesin London.
Frankfurt TheoriginsoftheFrankfurt StockExchangegobackto medievaltradefairsinthe 11thcentury Bythe16th centuryFrankfurt developedintoawealthy andbusycitywithan economybased ontrade andfinancialservicesIn 1585aboursewas establishedtosetupfixed currencyexchangerates, which isconsideredto
markthe‘birth’;ofthestock exchange.Duringthe followingcenturies
Frankfurtdevelopedinto oneoftheworld’sfirststock exchanges-nexttoLondon andParis Bankerslike MayerAmschelRothschild andMaxWarburghad substantialinfluenceon Frankfurt’sfinancialtrade.
NewYork Theearliestrecorded organizationofsecurities tradinginNewYorkamong brokersdirectlydealingwith eachothercanbetracedto theButtonwood Agreement.Previously, securitiesexchangehad beenintermediatedbythe auctioneers,whoalso conductedmoremundane auctionsofcommodities suchaswheatandtobacco OnMay17,1792,twenty-four brokerssignedthe ButtonwoodAgreement Afterre-formingasthe NewYorkStockand ExchangeBoard,thebroker organization beganrenting outspace exclusivelyfor securitiestrading,which previouslyhadbeentaking placeattheTontineCoffee House.Severallocations wereusedbetween1817and 1865,whenthepresent locationwasadopted.
ParisBourseactivitiesfounda stablelocationatthePalais Brongniart,orPalaisdela Bourse,builttothedesignsof architectAlexandre-Theodore Brongniartandcompletedby EloiLabarre Therewere around60agentsdechange (theofficialstockbrokers) Officially,theagentsde changecouldnottradefor theirownaccountnorevenbe acounterparttosomeone whowantedtobuyorsell securitieswiththeiraid;they werestrictlybrokers,thatis, intermediaries Inthefinancial literature,theParisBourseis hencereferredtoasorderdrivenmarket,asopposedto quote-drivenmarketsor dealermarkets,wherepricesettingishandledbyadealer ormarket-maker.InParis, onlyagentsdechangecould receiveacommission,ata ratefixedbylaw,foractingas anintermediary
Chicago Paris Intheearly19thcentury,the ParisBourseactivitiesfound astablelocation atthe
TheChicagoBoardofTrade (CBOT),foundedonApril3, 1848,isoneoftheworld's oldestfuturesandoptions exchanges.Itwascreatedto provideacentralmarketplace wherebuyersandsellerscould formalizeforwardcontracts, reducingcreditrisk.Theidea stemmedfroman1848 discussionbetweenThomas RichmondandW L Whiting, leadingtoaMarch13meeting ofmerchantsandthedrafting ofaconstitutiontoestablish theCBOT.
Whilstcreatingthefirstreleaseof"TraderVoiceTechnology” magazinewerelyonourTVGurustoprovideuswithuptodate informationonhowthistechnologyspacehaschangedand evolved,especiallyoverthepasttenyears.Sowethankthese peoplefortheirknowledge,collaborationandhonestopinions.
JAPPY TAKHAR ThereisnowayIwouldwanttocreatethismagazinewithasmuchinput fromJappyTakhar...oneofthefewTraderVoiceexpertswhohasbeenin thebusiness30+years,workedwithallofthevendorswithbalanceand precision,duetohisAPIconnectivityandunderstandingofthis technologymarket Inourinterviewwedigdeepintowhatthetraders wantinaTechspacethatshaschangedincrediblyoverthepastten years
TOM ARBUTHNOT AnexcitingandinformativediscussionwithTomArbuthnotwhoIbelieve isoneofthemostknowledgeablepeopleIknowintheUnifiedComms techspace IcheekilygointoSBC's,Co-PilotandanywhereelseIcan thinkofbutheanswerswitheaseandprecision
ANDY DAVIES Andy'sinputwassowelcomeforthismagazinenottomentionhis positivewordsaroundwhyitwouldbeagoodideatogetthismagazine toprint wellpublishedonlineatleast:-) Andyisverywellknowninthis TraderVoiceTechnologyspaceandhisrelationshipbuildingandSales experienceansecondtonone.
PAGE 19
PAGE 26
PAGE 34
PAGE 40
TRADER VOICE-RECORDING
Apart from capturing data, these companies have had to innovate with AI Bots and Agentic AI and should allow them to venture into the world of data analytics
TRADER VOICE-CLOUD
With all of the Financial organisations aligning themselves with one of the big three cloud providers, the Trader Voice technology suppliers will become cloud agnostic as connectivity between all three is becoming easier to architect
TRADER VOICE-UNIFIED COMMS
The big three in Unified Comms continue to add features which slowly eat away into the Hard phone market and in some ways complement the Soft Turret change for the Traders
TRADER VOICE-AI
This section has followed the growth of ChatGPT and explain how Jensen Huang is becoming the new Steve Jobs.
PAGE 47 & 52
SPOTLIGHT: SINGAPORE AND DUBAI
gapore and Dubai have been attracting expats for a few ades now due to the weather, tax breaks and the eclectic mix of ople from around the world.
PAGE 59
SPOTLIGHT: WOMEN IN TECH SALES
This section portrays some very strong and determined women who shine in their respective Technology Sales roles and I do hope helps a little in the youngsters studying STEM to bridge the gender gap
PAGE 71
SPOTLIGHT: SUSTAINABILITY
With the growth of AI, Cloud & Bitcoin mining, the E-Waste is becoming an issue and I hope this article explain how this circular process needs to be tackled from the core.
WHATISATRADER ANDWHYISHE RECORDED? Well, to start with a Trader makes a call with his communications device or hits a button to his direct line Broker and because they are managing investments or dealing with investments eg an Equity or an FX trader, as stated by the FSA, their conversations should be recorded. This description of Trader Voice then allows the technology companies who supply the Telephony devices and voice recorders toselltheirproductsandthissubsequentlyfiltersdown to companies supplying Compliance software tools to keeptheBanksandBrokerscompliant.
This has allowed many other software companies to thrive with their recording and monitoring of these conversations. In response the Banks have doubled theirresourcesinRiskandCompliancedepartments. This launch of "Trader Voice" online magazine attempts to explain how things have evolved in the trader technology space with important sub- chapters on how integrations have spawned into more recent technologiessuchasCloud,UnifiedCommsandAI.
Therehavebeenmanyother lossesovertheyearsandthisled toFinancialorganisations spendingmillionsofpoundson Compliancesoftwaretosatisfy theFSAandothergoverning bodiesaroundtheglobe.
What’s happening in this Trader voice space in 2025? ‘TwentyyearsagothenumberofInvestmentand Brokingtradersstoodataproximately750,000and rumourhasitthisisnowunder300,000.’
ThereareanumberofreasonswhytheTradershave decreasedandsomesayitsthedifferencebetweenthe oneswhowere"BabyBoomers"bornbetween1946and 1964andthe"Millennials"bornbetween1981and1996, usingtechnologyatanearlyage.Millennialswouldknow andlovetechandhavebroadknowledgeofthesesectors andshares.Somesayreachingadulthoodinthe milleniumisalsoamajordifference....IshouldknowasI justmadeinasaBabyBoomer
Manymillennialswitnessedthedistressitcausedtheir parentsdirectlyinthestockmarketorindirectlythroughjob lossesorwagecuts.Somaybesomeoftheseyoungsters whostudiedEconomicsandInvestmentstrategiesbecame DayTradersorjoinedBoutiqueInvestmentfirms....who knows.
Sincethe1980s,theopenoutcrysystemshavebeensteadily replacedbyelectronictradingsystems(suchasCATSand Globex).ThisFloortradingwasthemeetingoftraderstobuy andsellfinancialinstrumentsandIbelievetheseBabyBoomers mayhavelefttheindustrywhenthese"Pits"shutdown.
Has the Head Trader finally gone “soft”? Pleaseexcusethedisparagingtitleabovebutthisis purelytoillustratehowtheTradingTurretsareslowly movingfromhardwaretosoftwaredevices.
TheHeadtraderwithinan InvestmentBankwouldrunthe floor,beingresponsiblefor positions,riskandultimately,the profitabilityofthatbusiness.Most notably,heischargedwith ensuringregulatoryandinternal complianceforeveryemployee whoispartofthetrading operation.Duringthe80'sand 90's,thedecisionfortheTrading floortochangetheirmainpiece oftechnology,theTurret,would havetobesanctionedbythe HeadTrader,despitepriceor featuredifferencesbetweenthe variousvendors.
Itwasalsotoutedthattheyliked thehardTurretssoastogivethem alittlebashfromtimetotime whentheirtradewasn'tgoingwell. TheSoftTurretsfirstappearedin angeraroundtenyearsagoandI guesswasinevitablewiththe amountofprogressmadewith Applicationsandintegrationby thebigplayerssuchasAppleand Microsoft.TheseSoftTurretsare nowappearingasstandardwithin aBank/Broker'sprocurement process(RFP's)andthere'sa strongpossibilitytheHeadTrader isnowlisteningtoprice,features andTotalCostofownership(TCO).
KeyFeaturesandBenefits ofSoftTurrets. FLEXIBILITY & MOBILITY Soft turrets can be used on various devices, including desktops, laptops, and tablets, allowing traders to work from anywhere, including home or on the go.
BUSINESS CONTINUITY They ensure business continuity by providing reliable communication channels even in the event of a hardware failure or office disruption.
ENHANCED COLLABORATON Soft turrets facilitate communication with colleagues and counterparties, enabling more efficient collaboration and decision-making.
They can be more cost-effective than hardware turrets, as they don't require physical equipment and can be scaled up or down easily.
Soft turrets can be integrated with other unified communications systems and platforms.
OPEN ARCHITECTURE Some soft turret systems have an open architecture, allowing integration with various recording platforms and services
PrivateWires Theprivate-wiremarket betweeninterdealerbrokers, banksandthebuy-side, leasedlinesandpoint-topointprivatewiresareused asacoretradingfunctionto enableconstant communicationbetween counterparties,ensuring consistentandongoing revenueforassetstraded off-exchangeTrading industrytechnologyhas progressedtremendously.
However,privatewire infrastructureforvoice tradinghaslargelybeenleft behindintermsof modernization.Despite advancesinelectronic trading,themajorityofvoicebasedtradingstillrunson traditionaltechnologiessuch astime-divisionmultiplexing (TDM)lines.Theselinesrely heavilyonspecialized, location-boundhardware interfacesandgateways.
NETWORK CONNECTIVITY CENTER AnexamplecouldbeGoogle Cloud’sNetworkConnectivity Centerwhichisa complementaryadditiontothe voicetradingmarket.Network ConnectivityCentermakesit possibletoconnecton-premises networkstocloud,leveraging Google'sglobalnetworkfordata transfer,andenableshighperformancevoicedata connectivitybetweenonpremiseslocationssuchas interoffice,banks,andbuy-side counterparties,withtheflexibility toeasilyaddnewlocationson theflywhereandwhenneeded.
Bymovingthefinancial market’svoicenetworkintoa cloud,weenableagility, performance,flexibilityandcost savings.TheCloud’sprivate, software-definednetworkisthe broadestreachingnetworkof anycloudproviderenabling hugeperformance,availability andlatencygains.Atthesame time,theabilitytotranscribe andperformanalyticsonvoice datahelpstocreatenewprofit streamsfromnew“indicative” marketdatafeedsand generatefullycompliant historicalrecords
Themainvendorsin theFinancialspace are;Oracle,Audio Codes,Sangoma andRibbon
Earlydeploymentsof SBCswerefocusedon thebordersbetween twoserviceprovider networksinapeering environment.Thisrole hasnowexpandedto includesignificant deploymentsbetweena serviceprovider's accessnetworkanda backbonenetworkto provideserviceto residentialand/or enterprisecustomers.
AstheTurretProviders andclientshavebeen movingtoSIPoverthe pastfiveyears,theuse ofSessionBorder Controllershasgrown atanalarmingrate. SessionBorder Controllers(SBC)are crucialinensuring securityand managingphonecalls andsessionswithin communication networks.
INTERVIEW WITH JAPPY TAKHAR AF:YouwereatBTfor25 yearsbutwhatmadeyou leaveandstart ComitFs?
JT:Isoonrealisedthatthe strategicdirectionIwantedBT totakewasnotgoingto happen,andbuildingagnostic API'swasthewaytogo. AlthoughIhadagreattimeat BT,theyshippedmeoffround theworldtopromotetheir software,andIknewthe workingsverywell Wenowcountfiveofthetop teninvestmentbanksas comitFScustomersandthis enablesustoefficientlyadapt, enhance,anddevelopnew connectorstomeetevolving businessrequirements.
AF:ComitFSstartedwitha specificgoaltobuildAPI's connectingtoallofthe telephonyvendorswithin theFinancialbankingspace (BT,IPC,CiscoandAvaya). Hasthischangedwiththe adventofyournewproducts orstayedatthetheheartof comitFS'strategy?
JT:ForusatcomitFS,theAPI middlewarelayerand subsequentstrategywill alwaysbeattheheartofwhat wedoandweensurethey seamlesslyintegratewith currentkeyvoicesystems.As westandnowthese connectorshavegrowntoIPC Unigysystem,BTTrade,Cloud 9,CiscoCUCM,NICENTR-X, Jabber,Webex,Zoom, MicrosoftTeams,Microsoft ACS
AF:I believeoneof comitFS'firstSaleswasin theResearch/Wealth managementareaofan InvestmentBank.Doyou believethisCRM integrationofferingwasa keystrategywithregards tocomitFS'sgrowth?
JT:That'sagreatquestion andyesIbelievethatistrue. AsyouknowverywellAshley, theactualTraderendpoint counthasdecreasedso havingWealthmanagersas clientshashelpedus balancetheequation. WorkingwithWealth ManagementITTeamshas alsogivencomitFSagreater understandingoftheirneeds andrequirementsandover theyearsensuredthatwe understandtechnologies suchasSalesforce, Dynamics,TeamsAPI'sand ACS.
AF:Intheearlydaysofany startup,youneed incredibledriveandbelief, wheredoyouthinkthis camefromwithin yourself?
JT:Wellitcouldbeanumber ofthingsbutIbelieveduring mytimeatBT,Iknewthere wasadifferentapproach thatweneededtotake regardingthemiddleware Asyoucanseenow,weare agnostictoalltheTurret vendorsandthismeansif oneofthemhas50%or80% ofthemarketthenitworks thesameforusbecause
weworkwithallofthem. SoIhadanopportunityto leave,joinsomecolleagues andbuildamiddlewarethat didnotcompetewhichto thisdayhasputusingood steadforthepast20years.I alsohadsomeexcellent mentorsinmytimeand believeitornot,playing Basketballhelpsdrivea healthymindandcreate positiveenergy...longmay thissportcontinueforme
AF:Inthepastfifteen years,Traderswithin InvestmentBankingand Brokershaveshrunkfrom around700,000toless than300,000.Apartfrom technologyprogression, whydoyouthinkthisis?
JT:YesAshley,Tradershave reducedandIbelieve technologymaybethemain reasonforthisbutoverall thathastobeinevitableas wasthedemiseof BlackberryandriseofApple iphones.comitFShashadto innovateoverthepastten yearsandbuildproducts thataligntowhatourclients require...egcompliance relatedchecks,integration totheirDesktopApps,etc Also,buildingofnewtrading floorsisanexpensive pastimeandintheearly daysthesefloorscreateda lotofdecibelsandacoustics wereveryimportanttobe considered....stillareIguess toanextent buttheyare alotquieternow.
AF:I’mjumpingaround herebutverykeentoget yourviewonthe"Soft Turret"whichhasbeenout ontheTradingfortenyears now,whyhasthistakenso longforTraderstoadopt thistechnologyratherthan ahardplasticTurret?...or arethesesoftphonesnow beingadoptedwithspeed?
JT:Anotherveryrelevant question.Ifyouremember whenyoujoinedin2015,we hadjustdevelopedaSoft TurrentbasedonMicrosoft Lync/Skypebutthiswas duringthetimeofinvestment goingonCloud9'ssoftturret andGreenKeytryingtotake theirshareofthe market......andwe subsequentlydecidedtodrop ourproductandconcentrate onourcorebusiness.Ialso believetryingtopersuadethe Traderstoadoptsoftphones ontheirdesktopwasalittle
tooearlybutthingshave certainlychanged.Thismay bedowntotheMillenials andtheirhungerfor smartphonesandapps forcingthischange....who knows? withallduerespect, someoftheoldskool Traderswouldhaveretired now.
AF:Thismagazineisall aboutTraderVoiceand relevanttechnologiesthat willaffectand subsequentlybedelivered toTraders.Themagazine alsospendstimeon explaininghowCloud,AI andUnifiedComms integrateintoTraderVoice technology.BigquestionI knowbutwhat'syourview onhowthesethree relevantTechnologieswill affecttheTraderswithin theBankingandBroker space?
JT:Wellletmestartwith Cloud...allofthevendors associatedwithTrader VoiceTechnologywillhave hadtobuild“CloudNative” appsorloseout,asalthough it’staken alongtimeallofthe FinancialBanksandBrokers firmswillhaveaCloud Strategyandstarted movingAppstothecloud.AI iseverywhereandyour Magazinearticleonthis technologyismostwelcome especiallyaroundtheData analysisofVoiceRecording dataandMSTeams. UnifiedCommunications integratingtotheTrading floorisveryrelevantandif Microsoftcouldseean opportunitywithspecific traders,theycould absolutelymoveintothe specialisedTrader/Broker lineswithaGUIthatdealt withsoftTurretfeatures
The world of AI is growing faster than anyone can write about it so I'vetriedtocapturetherelevantintegrationswithintheTradervoice recordingspace.
Thevoicerecordingcompanieswouldhaverealisedoverthepastten to fifteen years how rich the data within the capture of voice recordingsisfortheirclients....andsotheincredibleadvancementof AIhasbroughtavarietyofopportunitiesforthemall.
AIBots AI Bots perform specific tasks to automate manual workflows Whether you’re looking to increase sales, reduce after call work, or shorten the time support agents spend looking forknowledge.
AgenticAI Agentic workflows can enable the next frontier of automation with computer-use agents and AI agents The shift isn’t just about enhancing workflows it’s about reimaginingprocesses.
AI agents with vision capabilities use multimodal language models to interpret and interact with graphic user interfaces (GUIs) like human users. They scrutinize program elements and perform human actions like analyzing on-screen elements, clicking buttons, entering text, etc As innovation continues in this arena, AI will become more and more accessible with fewercomputingresources.
The bot helps to reduce agent workload and its that extra capacity that allows you to increase sales and reduce labor costs AI-powered voice bots are advanced software applications that leverage generative AI technology for engaging in human-like voice conversations These bots understand user needs, interact in a natural language, and are easily managed with AI and LLM models, significantly enhancing user experiences across various industries. From answering common queries to providing personalized assistance, AI-powered voice bots transform how businesses communicate with theircustomers
WHATISANACI? An agent-computer interface (ACI) allows artificial intelligence agents to function similarly to human users when working with computer software. TheACIenablesAIagentstoreadandoperatedynamicallygraphicaluser interfaces (GUIs) by navigating screens, allowing them to execute commands and input data without fixed system connections. AI’s adaptive nature enables it to operate with any digital tool through a frameworkthatdoesnotneedautomationdevelopment.
ACIs leverage their perception capability to divide tasks into sequential processes and implement self-adjustment mechanisms when errors occur ACI can eliminate constraints from basic automation, thus enablingAItoparticipatemoreextensivelyinorganizationaloperations.
HOWEFFECTIVEARELLMS? From web navigation to professional software and even video games, users frequently encounter repetitive tasks that could benefit from automation While large language models like GPT-4, DeepSeek and Qwen-2-VL have demonstrated their potential in automating tasks through general GUI interaction,theircapacityisstillfarfromenoughforapplicabledesktoptask automation.
Researchers have evaluated digital agents to track their proficiency in interacting with computers through tests focused on transcoding, web browsingandmobileapplicationusage Ascitedbyoneresearchpaper,the standard range of human performance equates to 70% to 75%, with a minimal deviation of less than 5% On the other hand, current ACI frameworksperformatarateof15%to40%onOSWorld(astandardtestof computer usage). In comparison, their results exhibit extensive variation (over20%)
Agent computer interface technology builds on foundational research at the intersection of multimodal understanding and reasoning Combining advanced GUI perception with structured problem-solving can break tasks intomultistepplansandadaptivelyself-correctwhenchallengesarise
INTERVIEW WITH ANDY DAVIES AF:Thanksforallowingme toconductthisinterview andI'dliketostartwith askingyouaboutyour "almost"20yearswith Verint.Cheekyquestion butcanyoutellmewhat haskeptyouthereforso long?
AD:Firstly,thankyouforthe opportunitytocontributeto thispublicationandplease notethatthesearemyown personalviews,andIamnot respondingonbehalfof Verint.
Yes,Ihavebeeninthevoice recordingindustrysince joiningEyretelin1999and followingasuccessfulIPO, wassubsequentlyacquired byWitnessin2003whichwas purchasedbyVerintin2007.I haveeffectivelybeenworking invoicerecordingforover25 yearswithafocuson recordingandanalyticsfor firmswantingtomeet regulatorycompliance.There areseveralreasonsthathave keptmehereforsolong.The mostsignificantisthe constantchangeinthis industrywhichhaskeptit interesting Ihaveseenthe movefromtaperecording withtheEyretelE1000 throughtheadoptionof capturingIPTelephony duringtheearlydaysof Ciscothroughtotheuseof transcriptionandGenerative AItoextractbusinessvalue outofbusiness
reasonisthetightKnit industryecosysteminwhichI havehadthepleasureof workingwithmanyclientsand partners,alongsidethe associatedtechnology partnerssuchasthetrading turretvendors.
AF:Atthebeginningofyour careerIguessitwasthe traditionalrecordingof "one-to-oneconversations" ....sorollthatforward18 yearsandit'srecording Whatsapp,Video, conferencecalls,etc.Was thischangeinevitabledue totechnology?Also,hasthis broughtadifferenttypeof BusinesstoVerint'sportfolio ofclientofferings?
AD:Youareright,recording haschangeddramatically sincetheearlydaysof patchingthevoicerecorderto theanaloguelinesofaphone systemortradingturret platform Ithinkthiswasinevitableas thetelephonyvendors deliverednewtechnologies thatwerethenusedby regulatedusers.Someofthe changeshasprovided challengestoalltherecording vendorsanditisaconstant battletoensurethesenew modalitiesarecaptured securelyandreliably Anearlier examplewastheregulatory requirementtocapture mobilesintheUKin2011.This wastechnicallydifficultto deliverduetotheimmaturity
ofthevariousvendorsolutions atthetime.However,fast forwardtotodaythisis relativelysimpleandwidely deployedglobally. Another exampleofatechnologyshift wasthelaunchofSkypefor Businessandtherequirement torecordmorethanjustvoice suchasscreencapture,video andIM Thisprovedvery complextodeployatscale andwasoneofthekeyfactors forVerintacquiringVerbain 2017duetoVerba’sexpertisein SkypeforBusinesscapture I wouldalsoliketohighlightthe importanceofpartnerships. It iscriticaltohaveclose relationshipswiththe providersofthesenew technologiesinorderto providestableandcompliant solutions Verint’spartnerships withtheleadingUC,trading turret,mobile,eCommsand TradeSurveillancevendorshas madethispossible. Itisalsoimportanttoknow whenyouneedtopartnerwith bestofbreedandnottrytodo everythingyourself
In2011,theFCAremovedthe recordingexemptionfor mobilephones(andIwas heavilyinvolvedin this...writingalettertothe FSAaskingthemtopushthe datebackasBankswerenot readyforthis),requiring businessestorecordall conversationsrelatedto clientorderstoensure complianceandaddress potentialdisputes.Doyou
thinkthischangedthe behaviorofthetradersand subsequentlysparkeda timeofchangeandless finesforFinancial organisations?
AD:AsIreferencedinthe answertoanearlierquestion, therequirementtorecordUK regulatedfirm’smobilesin 2011wasdifficulttodeliver technicallyforseveralyears Themainreasonforthe requirementwastomonitor communicationsondevices thatwerenotpreviously capturedbutclientswanted theflexibilityof communicatingthetrader whensheorhewasoutofthe office.Ibelievethisdidresult inregulatedfirmsthat providedcompanymobile phonessomeprotection againstpotentialfines, however,Idon’tthinkitwould everbepossibletoeliminate deliberatefraudulentactivity Today,similarchallenges existastradershaveaccess tothelikesofWhatsAppand WeChatforcommunications. Itisnowpossibleto compliantlycapturethese latestcommunication methodsandtheuseofthe latestspeechtranscription andAIallowsyoutospot ‘channelshift’whereatrader mayeludeonarecordedcall toswitchingtoWhatsApp,for example.
(ormore)ofthevoice
recordingmarketwithinthe FinancialBankingand Brokerspace...firstly,inyour mind,isthis70%share correct?andsecondlydo youseethatchanginginthe next5years?...ieother companiesincreasingtheir shareofthismarket.(Call Cabinet,LiquidVoice,etc).
AD:Itisdifficulttoaccurately estimatethemarketsharein theregulatoryvoicerecording market,butIwouldsaythat youarenotfaroff.Oneofthe keyreasonsthattherehave beenaverylimitedvendorsin thisspaceisrelatedtomy earlierpointaround technologypartnerships. Financialfirmsalmostalways haveatradingdivisionthat usetradingturretsandthese areprovidedbyessentiallytwo companieswhohaveasimilar marketdominance.
AF:VerintalongwithNice probablyownapprox70%
Recordingandintegratingto thesetradingturretvendors requiressignificant development,certification andfocusonresiliency. This complexitymakesitveryhard fornewplayerstoenterthis marketwhereclientsrequire onesolutiontocompliantly captureUC,mobile,trading turretsandassociated communicationsmethods Sayingthat,Idon’t underestimatecompetition andthereisamarketforpoint solutionsandmarketsthat requireabasicsolutionthat maynothaveallthe... complianceandresiliencyof themarketleaders. Regardingthequestionofthe future,wehavealreadyseena bigmovetothecloudfor recording,especiallywiththe wideadoptionofMicrosoft Teamscapture.However, historically,tradingturretsand associatedrecordinghave oftenbeenon-prem deployments Thisissetfor changeastheturretvendors adoptacloudonlypolicy withinthe5yeartimeframe. So,in5years,Ibelievewewill seethevastmajorityof recordingforthismarketbeing deliveredasacloudservicefor allcommunicationtypes.We areinevitablygoingtoseenew communicationsplatforms andIhopebetterintegration betweenthetradingturret vendorsandUCplatforms suchasMicrosoftTeamsand Zoom.Ialsoexpecttosee highlyaccuratevoice transcriptiontunedtothe sectorandAIpowered businessinsightsfromvoice communicationsbeinga standardoffering. Onefinalareathatweare seeingsignificantinterestin, thatIsuspectwillbecome widelyadoptedoverthenext fewyearsisthesupportforreal timetranscriptiononthe tradingfloorwherewordsand topicscanbeusedtotrigger anactionthatcanbeusedto generateabusiness advantage.Maybethiscould beatopicforfurther discussioninafutureversionof
AF:Yourecently acquired/mergedwith Intelligentvoice.Wasthis mainlyforTranscriptionor otherareasofIV'sproduct suite?
AD:Verintacquired IntelligentVoiceinlate2024 followingasuccessfulOEM relationshipforseveralyears. Verint’sselectionof IntelligentVoicewasdueto theclassleadingcapability oftranscriptionandAIwith domainexpertiseinthe financemarket Intelligent Voicehasexceptional capabilityforthesupportfor multi-lingualconversations, detectinglanguage switchingautomaticallyand understandingfinancial termsandhownumbersare spokenbytraders,for example.IntelligentVoiceis nowpartoftheVerint FinancialCompliance offeringandre-brandedas CommunicationsAnalyticsor CAforshort. Verint’scurrentfocusinthis businessareaistouse CommunicationsAnalyticsto notonlyprovideclassleading transcriptionbuttoaddthe formerIntelligentVoiceteam expertiseinAItouncover businessinsightsfromthe recordedvoice communications This includescapabilitiessuchas focusedmeeting summarisationandactions–notgeneric,butfocusedona businessusersuchasa
WealthManager Other exampleswouldbeusingthe AIInsightstoidentifyrisk withinthevoice communicationstopassonto oneofourpartnerssuchas SteelEyewhoprovideeComms andTradeSurveillance solutions
Alltheseadvanced capabilitiesrequiresignificant GPUbasedcomputeand Verint’sapproachistouse bespokeLLMsthatarefocused onthetaskratherthantypical commercialAIplatforms.This hastheadvantageofreducing theamountofcompute required,resultinginwhat Verintliketoterm‘EthicalAI’, butalsoallowsclientsto deploylocallyintheir infrastructure,ifpreferredover cloud,whichisoftenpreferred fromasecurityanddata sovereigntyperspective.
AF:What'sthenext technical challenge/opportunityfor Verint?
AD:Asdiscussedearlier,Ithink thenexttechnicalchallengeis tocontinuetodevelopAI poweredbusinessinsights fromvoicecommunications. Wehavealreadysolvedsome ofthekeychallengessuchas highlyaccurate,multi-lingual transcriptionthatisnow technicallyandfunctionally possibletodeliver The demandforreal-time transcriptionontradingfloors andassociatebackofficeis
anotheropportunitytoensure thatthetechnologyprovides thebusinessoutcome demandedratherthanjust providingthecapability becauseitisnowpossible
AF:Apologiesforthisone butIneedsomefeedback ontheTraderVoice magazinebeforeit's launched,sowhatareyour thoughtsontheproposed ideaandcontent?
AD: Ash,Ithinkthisisagreat conceptandsomethingthatI don’tthinkhaseverbeen donebefore.AsImentioned earlier,thetradervoiceand associatetechnologiesis generallyaclose-knitteamof peopleacrosstheglobemany ofwhichhasworkedorknown eachotherformanyyears I thinkthispublicationwillbe ofinteresttomanypeople fromthepartnerecosystem toclientsandtechnology vendors Ialsothinkmany peoplewillbehappytoshare contentandgoodmemories ofthepastandhowthis spaceisevolving.Iwishyou alltheluckwiththelaunch
Ash’s Tech History- Part 2 Wham, Cyndi Lauper and Queen to mention a few, went global in the 80's but who would launch new tech products that would set the world alight with futureproof technology.
IBM launched the IBM PC 5150, starting the home PC market. Although primitive by today's standards, 64k RAM and 16-bit processor, it helped to kickstart a home computing revolution with software developers keen to make the most of these powerful new machines.
Nintendo's Game Boy and its release in 1989 cannot be underestimated Suddenly gamers were no longer confined to their bedrooms and could take their entertainment wherever they wanted - even outside.
And with this came Tetris and Super Mario The Game Boy proved to be one of Nintendo's greatest launches.
VHS VS BETAMAX- Forget the Cold War, the conflict that really divided the world in the 1980s concerned how you watched your home videos.
Mobile phones are so ubiquitous these days that it's hard to imagine a time when no-one had a portable device capable of keeping them in contact with the world around them at all times.
The 1980s, with its iconic brick phones, can be seen as the start of the smartphone boom, with Motorola's DynaTac 800x, released in 1983, probably the most famous of the early handsets
Apple released the Macintosh
First going on sale in January 1984, the original Apple Macintosh was designed by Steve Jobs, and named after colleague Jef Raskin's favorite variety of apple.
And lets not forget the ZX Spectrum. The twin titans of the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 opened up a whole new world of gaming, with iconic titles still cited as inspiration by many studios and gamers today.
It is thought Microsoft Azure and Google GCP have the most presence within the Financial organisations.
First,let’slookatsomeofthe technologiesthese companies,theBanksand Brokershavehadto understandandimplement. ThebigthreeCloud providers(AmazonAWS, MicrosoftAzure,GoogleGCP) havebeenchasingand subsequentlyspreadacross theFinancialorganisations. FromaTraderVoice perspective(theprovidersof communicationsendpoints toTraders)havehadtobuild theircloud-nativeofferingin achosencloudthatsuits theirclients.
Azure Private Cloud Lookingatthistable,all TraderTurretproviders wouldneedtodeveloptheir cloud-nativeofferings withinoneofthesecolumns typically On-Premor PrivateCloud,unlessthey areofferingservices throughtheirown proprietarycloud..
InJanuary2023,Dellacquireda companycalledCloudifyfor around$100mtobeefupits cloudservicesbusiness, specificallyinthedevops space.Cloudifyhadbuilta platformforcloud orchestrationand infrastructureautomation Thesetoolsareusedbycloud architectsandDevOps engineerstomanage containers,workloadsand moreimportantlyacrosshybrid environments.
Interview 2
AF:Thankssomuchfor takingthisinterviewSam forourveryfirst"Trader VoiceTechnology" magazinebutasweare friendsIthoughtI'dgetat leastonecheekyquestion in.Whichcitydoyou prefer,NewYorkor London...andwhy?
SW:Reallytoughone!Very differentcitiesandgreatfor differentthings.Istartedmy careerinLondonandhad alwayswantedtobeinthe “big”city Ispentthefirstfew yearsofmystintat MongoDBonOld Street/SiliconRoundabout beforemovingtoNewYork tofoundtheproduct managementteamunder theCTOin2012.Ispentthe next10yearsinNewYork afterthatbeforemoving backtoLondonduringcovid in2022.Iquicklyrealized thereisastarkcontrast betweenthe2cities.London withamoresuave,and understatedvibe,fulloflittle pocketsofvibrancy.New York,incontrast,isa relativelysmallisland packedwithalevelofenergy thatisunmatchedanywhere else.Anythingfeelspossible inNewYorkfromabusiness perspective.Aswehave2 youngkidsnow,London(in particularthesouthwest suburbsofWimbledon)feel likeagreatplacetoraisea family,withplentyofgreen space,freshairandmost importantlysomedecent pubs!
AF:Ibelieveyourstartup wascreatedwhenyoulived inNewYorkandalso fundedthere.Inyourview, isit easiertogettech fundingintheUScompared totheUK?
SW:Yeah,wefoundedPlural whileIwasstilllivinginNew Yorkandraisedourinitialpreseedandseedrounds($7M) theretoo It’sdefinitelya differentenvironment comparedtotheUK IntheUS especiallyonthecoasts venturefundingisjustmoreof avolumegame.There’sa biggerpoolofcapital,and investorsaregenerallymore comfortablebacking ambitious,early-stageideas, evenpre-revenue There’sa certainboldnesstotheUS investormindsetthatIreally admire.TheUKiscatchingup fastthough there’ssome brillianttalentandfundshere buttheoverallappetitefor riskstilltendstobeabitmore conservative Thatsaid,Ido thinkUK-basedfounders benefitfromhavingexposure tobothecosystems,ifthey can.
AF:InessencePluralis helpingintheDevOpstech space,isPlural'sstrategyto concentrateonKubernetes andassociated Infrastructure?
SW:That’sdefinitelywherewe started Kubernetesisthe backboneofmodern infrastructureforalotof engineeringteams,andwe sawabiggapinhow
companiesmanagefleetsof clusters,especiallyacross multipleenvironments.But we’vealwaysseenourselvesas morethanjust“Kubernetes tooling”Atourcore,we’re aboutsimplifyingplatform operations—whetherthat’s observability,compliance, upgrades,orapplifecycle management.Kubernetesis thecommondenominator today,butthebiggerplayis becomingthecontrolplanefor allinfrastructure helping teamsscaletheirplatforms withconfidenceandwayless manualtoil
AF:WouldyousayyourSales opportunitiesaremore prevalentintheUSmarketor Europe?
SW:TheUShastraditionally beenstrongerforus bigger market,faster-movingbuyers, andalotofcompaniesrunning multi-regionKubernetessetups thatreallyneedwhatweoffer. Europe,bycontrast,isfullof opportunitybutit’salsoa patchwork.You’redealingwith differentlanguages,different laws,anddifferent expectationsdependingonthe country,whichcanslowthings downquiteabit.
Thatsaid,there’sareally promisinginitiativeinthe workscalledEUInc It’sa proposedlegalstructurethat wouldletstartupsoperate acrossallEUcountriesunder oneunifiedframework sortof likeapan-Europeanwrapper foryourbusiness Whileit doesn’tdirectlystreamlinesales
motions(likesellinginto regulatedindustriesor languagebarriers),it reducesatonofthefriction involvedinsettinguplocal operations,whichcanbekey towinningdeals especially withlargercustomerswho expectalocalpresenceor contractsgovernedbylocal law.Ifitpasses,itcouldbea game-changerfor companieslikeourstryingto scalemoreeasilyacrossthe region.Outsideofthat,we’re seeingtractioninEurope already,especiallyinthe fintechandtelcospaces whereregulatorycomplexity makesourautomationand compliancestoryreally resonate.
AF:Hypotheticalquestion; Ifyouhadtopartnerwitha company,andthechoice waseitheramajorcloud provideroroneoftheBig Four,whichwoulditbe?
SW: Oof toughone!I’d probablyleantowarda cloudprovider,justbecause thealignmentistighter. We’reallabouthelping teamsoperatemodern infrastructuremore efficiently,andthe hyperscalersareattheheart ofthatstory.Apartnership therecouldunlockdeep integrationsandrealvalue forcustomers Thatsaid, there’sacaseforaBigFour partnershiptoo—especially aroundcompliance,security andlarge-scaledigital transformationprojects.
ButIguessifyou’remaking mechoose givemeanAWS oraGoogleCloudanyday. Wecanalwaysinvitethe consultantstotheafterparty
AF:What'snextforPlural regardingstrategyor expansion?
SW:We’reinthatexciting scale-upphasenow,soabig focusisonmakingthe productevenmoreself-serve anddoublingdownonourAI capabilities.We’vebeenable toseedramaticresultsthat showa90%decreasein operationaloverhead requiredtomanageand operateKubernetesforour customers.We’recontinueto adddeeperintegrations, smarterautomation,anda smootheronboarding experience soteamscan getvaluefast,without needinghand-holding.On thego-to-marketside,we’re expandingourpresencein boththeUSandEurope,and lookingtodoubledownona fewverticalswherewe’ve seenstrongfit,likefinancial servicesforexample.Midterm,weseeabig opportunitytoevolveintoa powerfulinternaldeveloper platform.That’swherethis spaceisheaded,andwe wanttoleadthecharge.The restoftheyear isabout gettingourheadsdownand executingonourstrategy, andlooktoraiseadditional venturecapitaltowardsthe endoftheyear.
Ash’s Tech History- Part 3 It wasn't all about shell suits and headphones in the 90's although the Spice Girls, Madonna and Backstreet boys certainly helped things along Technology advancement and the World Wide Web in the 90's has got to be the game changer looking back from where we are now
In 1991, Linus Torvalds was in his second year at the University of Helsinki when he began developing the industry-changing open source operating system Linux He originally set out to build a new operating system for his Intel PC, but Torvalds ended up creating one of biggest platforms for internet companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Twitter.
In 1992, a former developer at Sema Group Telecoms, successfully sent the first text message to a director at Vodafone. At the time, mobile phones did not have keyboards, so he typed his message, “Merry Christmas,” on a PC Nokia’s 1011 was the first mobile phone to support SMS text messaging.
On Dec 3, 1994, Sony released the first Playstation in Japan. The Playstation, which retailed for 37,000 yen (about $387), skyrocketed in popularity and was considered Sony’s most important product since the Walkman. It launched in the U.S. in September 1995 and saw instant success
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin met in 1995 at Stanford University By 1996, the two were writing a program for a search engine called Backrub -- and after Backrub's success, Brin and Page registered domain name Google.com in 1997. They went on to develop what would be the world’s largest search engine of all time in their friend Susan Wojcicki’s garage, and Google was officially incorporated in September of 1998.
WithintheUnifiedCommunicationsindustry,the bigthreearewidelyconsideredtobeMicrosoft Teams,CiscoWebexandZoom....butwhatisthe linktoTraderVoice?
A Trader's desk and real estate value has to be commercially viable and as Microsoft Teams market sharegrows,now430mpaidseats,I'mprettysurethese traders will be using Teams for meetings, chats and also making calls...as well as the AI/Co-Pilot features wherenecessary.Atpresent,therewillbetwodifferent Apps on the same desktop, so if a Soft Turret then sitting side-by-side with two different communications paths.
As a hypothetical example, a Tier 1 Investment bank mayhaveahundredthousandemployeesandasubset of three thousand traders (3% of workforce)...so this couldmeanninety-seventhousandMSTeamsusers.So youcanseethebalanceofsupportissuesandpossibly theneedforsomesortofintegrationattheGUIonthe desktop. Although this trader now has two devices to be recorded, the Turret and the Teams endpoint but the UC features coming out of the Microsoft product teamwillbeheavilyfocusedonthelionshareofTeams users,notnecessarilylinkedtoTraders.
“The features coming out at pace from these UC providers is phenomenal and the Traders will start toseegreatbenefitswhilsttheyarejoiningavideo call and with AI allowing automated summary of calls, it's going to be difficult for other players to keepup."
INTERVIEW WITH TOM ARBUTHNOT Interview 3
AF:Somyfirstquestionhas tobewhatmadeyoustarta companysuchas EmpoweringCloud?...you couldhavewalkedintoany techieUCroleatmost companiesaswellasEnd clients!
TA:Allthroughmyconsulting careerIdidspeakingevents, blogs,ranusergroupsand sharedinformationbutthe majoritywereclientswhocould affordtopay inessencevery highendclientssoIwaskeen todistributemyinformation outtoawideraudienceas everyoneneedthistypeof info....SoIplannedtomakeit sustainableandbuilda communitydrivencompanyas wellensuringenterprisescould talktoeachotherforevents, podcasts,etc NowIgetto spendathirdofmytimewith Microsoft,anotherthirdwith enterprisecustomersandthe restwithpartnerstalking recording,compliance,tools, devicecontactcentretech
AF:YouareaMicrosoft"Most ValuableProfessional"andI totallyunderstoodcoupled withMicrosoftTeams userbasestandingat300 millionusers,Icanseewhere yourfocusisbutareyoualso keepinganeyeonCisco& Zoom?
TA:Yeah,Itryandkeepmy handinforcomparisonsake andhaveafewfriendsatthese companies.However90%ofmy timeisbasedaroundMSTeams becausemycurrentclients...
havealreadymadethat strategicchoicebutitsagood ideatokeepaneyeonthe competitivelandscapewhich includestheiradvancesinAI andUCaaS
AF:Iwatchedyour interview/meetingwithGidi AldersbergatAudiocodes andfounditinterestingwith theContactCentrefeatures nowbundledonthe"Live Platform".DoyouthinkSBC vendorssuchasOracle, Ribbonandtheotherswill followsuit?
TA:Atonepointintime, Audiocodeshadaround30% ofTeamsclientrollouts,and theyhavesincegone increasedtheirbreadthinto recording,devices,platforms andContactCentre technologiesandsomereally coolAIstuffaswell RibbonandOraclehave differentbusinessstrategies Ribbonareinthecarrier spaceandOraclebigin CarrierandFinancialServices. IcanseeRibbonpotentially doingmoreplatformstuffbut IthinkACareprettyuniqueas theyhavesevendifferent integrationsintotheTeams ecosystem.YesRibbonarea partnerofEC SBC'saresmall partofoverallbusiness.
AF:Aswediscussed earlier,thenumberof Traders;FX,Equity,Brokers havedecreasedfrom around750,000twentyyear Asagotoapprox270,000 today...Ibelievethisisdue
totechnology,traders movingtosmallerhedge fundscertaincommodities shuttingdownspecific departmentsandother reasonsI'munawareof.So holdthatthoughtfora moment.....LSEGandUBS havestrategicallyaligned themselvesto Microsoft/Azure. DoyouthinkMicrosoftpay thecorrectattentiontothe voicerecording/Teams issuesthatarisewithin suchanichespace(traders areasmall%oftheoverall headcount)
TA:Microsoftaretryingtodo everythingforeverybodyso theycasttheirnetquite wide Ithinktheirlevelof attentionisproportionalto theiraddressablemarket A bigexampleatthemomentis theirfocuson"FrontLine workers"(retailassociates, healthcareclinicians,nursing staffandfactoryworkers)as notyetasaturatedmarket TraderVoiceissuperniche, supercomplicatedbutvery importanttechspaceso Microsoftaremorelikelytolet apartnerdothelastcomplex partsofthisworkwithinACS oranAPI...sameaswith compliancerecordingasthey don'thaveasolutionbuthave API'sand12partnerscertified todeliverthisforthem.
AF:ZoomandMSdidvery wellduringCovidwith manypeopleforcedto Workfromhome,Ithink MicrosoftTeams userbaseisnearly400 million,CanZoomtake Microsoft'scurrentusers away?
TA:IbelieveMSTeams userbase isapprox320m forteamsand20mfor phones, whichmayhave goneupnow...Zoom
phonesareataround5m andtheirUCcountisalso highandmaybeonpar withMSTeamsusers. MShaveabigadvantage astheyarealreadya trustedpartnerbythelarge enterprisesandpartof currentsuiteofproducts. Foraclienttochange, Zoomwouldhavetobe exponentiallybetterthan TeamsTheotherchallenge inthisyearofAI,thedata isthemostimportantthing
ietranscriptsandmeeting recordings...youwouldwant thistobecentralisedand securesoAIcangettoitsoi think.......UcaaSand workflowintegrationsis strongforMicrosoft.
WHAT IS AI? AIusestechniquessuchasmachinelearning,naturallanguage processing,computervision,robotics,amongothers,tocreate systemscapableoftasksthatmirrorhumanintelligence.
Fromthispointintime,June2025,overthepastthreeyears,Chat GPT&AIhasgrownatanincrediblepace.
SincethiswidespreadintegrationofAIintotechnology,Iheara constantquestion,"WillAIbecomesmarterthanhumansandtake overtheirroles?"
ThereisalsothestatedsecurityconcernswithAIastheattack surfaceexpands,leadingtonewvulnerabilitiessuchasprompt injectionattacksanddataleaks.Thislastthreeyearshasseen manyAIConsultancies,DatabasecompaniesandCyberSecurity expertshelpclientsontheirjourneytoincorporateAIintotheir respectivetechnologyorganisationsandI'msurethiswillcontinue foratleastadecadeormore.
YoumaybewonderingaboutthispictureofLarryEllisonofOracle, ElonMuskofXandJensenHuangofNvidia!
Wellfirstlyitwassaidthethreeofthemmetfordinnerawhileback andbothElonandLarrywerepleadingwithJensenforhisGPU chipsandnow,JensenHuanghasbecomeoneofthemost importantTechentrepreneursintheworld,somewouldsaynow slightlyaheadofElonMusk. AndtoseehowfarNvidiahascomein thepast30years........fromNvidia'sfirstgraphicscard,theNV1, havingtolayoffnearlyhalfofHuang'semployeesin1996,andnow in2025,drivingtheTechWorldtoSuperAI'sandQuantum computing. Allthingsconsidered,I'mconsciousofhowAIishelpingwithin theTraderVoicetechspace,soIdecidedtogetaviewfrom someoftheIndustryLeadingcompaniesinthisareawiththe samespecificquestion?
How is your company using AI within the Trader Voice Technology space?
I'mconsciousofhowAIishelpingwithintheTraderVoice tech space, so I decided to get a view from friends in someoftheIndustry’sleadingcompanies.
BradGorton,ManagingDirectoratKervresponded:
AIisfullyembeddedinthewaywemanagevoicedataforregulatedenvironments. We'reusingittosignificantlyimprovetranscriptionaccuracy,especiallyincomplex settingsliketradefloors,andtoautomatecompliancemonitoringacrosslarge volumesofvoicerecordings.Thatincludesreal-timedetectionofpotentialcompliance issues,automaticmetadatatagging,andintelligentsearchfeaturesthatmakeaudits fasterandmoreefficient.We'vealsointegratedAIintoourdatamigrationprocesses.It helpsusintelligentlyrecogniseandmaplegacyvoiceformatsfromsystemslikeNICE, Verint,andNTR,makingmigrationsquickerandmoreaccurate.Operationally,we’ve developedaninternaltoolcalledPulsethatusesAItocontinuouslyreadsystemlogfiles andperformafirst-lineanalysisofanyalerts.Thisallowsustotriageissuesanddetect patternsbeforetheyevenreachourticketingsystem,helpingourteamsactfasterand preventproblemsbeforetheyimpactclients.Overall,ourfocusisonmaking compliancesmarter,moreefficient,andproactivewhilemaintainingthehighest standardsofaccuracyandtransparency
WilliamDavenport,ManagingDirectoratWordwatchresponded:
Ourproductofferinghasbeenfocussedonsecurity,governance,architectural flexibilityandincreasingthenumberofconnectorswehavetoenablemoresystems andmodalitiestobeingestedintoWordwatch,andexpandonourDigital CommunicationsGovernanceandArchivingcapabilities.Ourroadmapwilldeliver featuresthatbuildonourbestofbreedtranscriptioncapabilitiestoutiliseGen-AIto allowourcustomerstoimprovetheircomplianceanddrivebetterinsightsfromtheir data.
“LiquidVoicehasbeenquicktointegrateAIwithinitsproductset,andwearenowin our3 iterationoffeaturesthatseamlesslyintegratewithourcompliance,legacy interaction,andqualitymanagementmodulestodeliverhugeefficienciestoour customers.Wecombineaccuracywithflexibilityandfeedbackhasbeenuniversally positivesofar” rd ChrisBerry,Co-FounderatLiquidVoiceresponded:
TheSpotlights TheseSpotlightarticlesareoftheutmostimportancetomeformany reasons,especiallyforthelaunchofTraderVoiceTechnologymagazine.As youcansee,I'vetriedtostitchallofthesectionstogetherthrough technologyandhopefullysustainabilityandlookingaftertheplanetare alsocarefullylinked.
Singapore AfterspendingquiteabitoftimeworkinginSingapore,it'sbecomesuchan eclecticmixofExpatsfromallovertheworld.Singaporeisoneofthe"FourAsian Tigers,"agroupofrapidlyindustrializingeconomiesinEastAsia,alongsideHong Kong,SouthKorea,andTaiwan.Theterm"tigereconomy"referstocountries thatexperiencerapideconomicgrowthandincreasingstandardsofliving The FourAsianTigersareknownfortheirstrongexport-orientedpoliciesandhave servedasrolemodelsforotherdevelopingcountries,particularlythe"TigerCub Economies"inSoutheastAsia
Dubai Dubaiisaglobalcity It’shometoover200nationalitiesandisaninternational hubofbusinessandleisure It’salsopartoftheIslamicworld,whereweekends havetraditionallyfallenonThursdayandFridayincontrasttotheSaturdaysand SundaysoftheWest
WomeninTechnology GirlsandwomenaresignificantlyunderrepresentedinSTEMfields,despite increasedparticipationinhighereducation.Whilewomenmakeupalarger percentageofthescienceprofessionalworkforce(44%),theyarestill underrepresentedinengineering(12%) IntheUK,womencompriseabout26%of theoverallSTEMworkforce Thearticleson"WomeninTechSales"showshowout Industryneedstochange,especiallywithinTraderVoiceTechnology.
Sustainability ThenextCOPmeetingisdueinNovember2025andwillbestagedinBraziland playsnicelyintotheSustainabilityarticleaboutloggingintheRainforests.Apart fromtheozonelayer,theendangeredanimalsalwaysspringtomindforme.
SPOTLIGHT SINGAPORE Ranked 6th most technically advanced countries in the world.
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore is an island country and one of the four "Asian Tigers" which refers to one of the four high growth economies, in essence countries that experienced rapid industrialisation and significant growth, particularly between the 1960's and 1990's.
These days Singapore is a highly developed country and has one of the highest PPP-adjusted GDP per capita and also the only country in Asia with a AAA sovereign credit rating from all the major rating agencies.
Now ranked one of the most expensive cities to live, the expat community certainly enjoy a great life with temperatures between 26 and 31 degrees all year round.
In 2019, Dyson moved its global headquarters to Singapore although it did have its manufacturing sites dotted around Asia which seemed to be the main reason for the move.
It is touted that 80 of the world's top 100 tech firms have operations in Singapore, including Google, Facebook and Alibaba, as well as Regional leaders like Garena, Grab and Razer.
Singapore is a technological hub in Asia, known for its smart city initiatives and robust digital economy. The citystate’s strategic focus on fintech, cybersecurity, and mobile technology highlights its role as a leader in digital transformation.
INTERVIEW WITH ANEEKA PATEL AF:Ibelieveyoufinally movedtoSingaporein 2018andnotsureifyou hadajoborinterviewing, asIknowhowtough Singaporecanbewith regardstoallowing peopletomovethere withoutsponsorship.Can youelaboratealittleon thistimeinyourlife?
AP:Yes,Imadethemovein early2018 Itwasdefinitelya leapoffaith-Ididn’thave ajobsecuredatthetime, justastronginstinctthatI wantedtobehere.Igave myselfafewmonthsto explore,meetpeople,and seeiftheenergyofthecity alignedwithwhatIwas lookingfor.Iendedup landinga7-monthcontract rolewithabank,whichwas extremelyrare.Knowing whatIknownowabouthow difficultitistosecurean employmentpassespeciallyforacontract positioninSingapore,I realisejusthowluckyIwas. Butitalsofeltlikeoneof thosemomentsthatwas trulymeanttobe Itgave methefootinthedoorI needed,andfromthere, everythingstartedto unfold.
(TheMonetaryAuthorityof Singapore)....but comparedtoyour entrepreneurialDating ideaandyourpersonal energyanddrive....which careerwouldyoupreferto takeforwardinthisrich eclecticmixofpeopleand cultures?
AF:Knownforitslarge percentageofexpats,how haveyoufoundthisand subsequentlyadaptedto sinceyoumovedto Singapore?
AF:Youhaveastrong backgroundinRiskand Complianceandthese skillsaremuchneededin Singaporegiventhestrict rulescomingoutofMAS
AP: That’sagreatquestion! I’vealwayshadadeep interestinhumanbehavior, whichisprobablywhyboth complianceanddatingtech appealedtome Oneisabout understandingconductrules andcultureinacorporate environment,theotherabout decodingpersonaldynamics andconnections Rightnow, I’mgratefultobeinmy currentroleasanEmployee RelationsandInvestigations Partnerwhichallowsmeto lookbeyondpoliciesand reallyunderstandthepeople behindtheissues-their motivations,thedynamicsat playanwhatmightbe drivingconflictand disengagement There’s actuallyasurprisingamount ofcreativityinvolvedtoowhetherit’sdesigning interventions,facilitating difficultconversations,or helpingteamsrebuildtrust.I stillhavethatentrepreneurial spiritandcuriosity,butfor now,I’minarolethat’s deeplyhumanand intellectuallyengaging,which keepsmeinspired
AP: OneofthethingsI’ve appreciatedmostishoweasy itistoconnectwithpeople whoarealsonewor navigatinglifefarfromhome. Theexpatcommunityin Singaporeisvibrant,open, andfullofshared experiences-especially aroundadjustingtoanew culture, balancingcareer moves,orraisingafamily abroad.I’vebuiltsome incrediblystrongfriendships here,andthatshared understandingreallyhelped mefeelgroundedearlyon. There’ssomethingunique aboutlivinginaplacewhere mostpeopleareinasimilar chapteroftransitionor exploration-itcreatesan instantsenseofconnection
AF:Sincemovingto Singaporein2018,youare nowmarriedandhavea beautifulboy,howhasthis changedyourlifestylein Singapore,ifatall?
AP:Becomingaparent changesyourpaceand prioritiesnomatterwhereyou are,butSingaporehasmade thetransitionsmootherin manyways.Havingaccessto domestichelpherehasbeen invaluable
-itmeanswecanspend moreofourtimefocusedon qualitymomentswithour son,friends,andeachother ratherthanconstantly jugglinghouseholdlogistics. Ourweekendshavedefinitely shifted:they’renowfilled withplaydates,splashparks, andchildren’sbirthday parties.Thatsaid,thishelp andthegeneraleaseoflife inSingapore-meanswestill haveplentyoftimefor “adulting”too
AF:Thisquestionmaybe toughonthegrandparents andyou,butdoyousee youandyourfamily returningtotheUKforyour son 'sALevelsorUniversity studies(in15yearstime) ?....asIalsoknowthe qualityoftheInternational schoolsinSingaporeisofa veryhighstandard.Orthe flip-sidewouldbe,isthere actuallyashorterplanto comebacktotheUKinsay thenext5years?
AP:It’sdefinitelya conversationthatcomesup often-especiallywhen flightsarebookedand goodbyesareemotional. Rightnow,we’reverysettled hereandhappy Internationalschoolsin Singaporeareexcellent,and ourlifehasarhythm that works.ButIneversaynever.I thinkwe’llcontinueto reassesseveryfewyears,and ifthepulltobecloserto
familyortogiveourson morerootsintheUK becomesstronger,we’dbe opentoit.
AF:Singaporeissowell situatedforAsiatravel, welluponFintechand Bankingtechnologyand hostsmanyTier1global officesinall Industries......butwhatis Singaporemissingfor you?
AP:That’satoughone becauseSingaporegetsso muchright IfIhadtopick something,itwouldbemore spacesorplatformsthat encourageboldcreative experimentation-especially outsideofthecorporate world.Isometimesmissthe gritty,edgy,unpredictable energyofLondon’sstreet cultureorthebuzzof grassrootsprojectstaking shape Thisissomething thatwoulddefinitelyadd anotherlayertothealready richmixofwhatSingapore hastooffer.
SPOTLIGHT DUBAI TECHNOLOGY Dubai'sgatewaylocationhasprovidedanatural link,makingcommunicationandtransferenceeasy andflexiblebetweenmanufacturers,producers,and consumers.ThismakesDubaianidealchoicefor businessownersandinvestorstoliveandwork.
Dubai,knownas"ThePearlofthePersianGulf",isalsoknownforitsluxury shopping,ultramodernarchitectureandlivelynightlife.Mostpeople mentiontheBurjKhalifaandat830mtall,dominatestheskyscraper-filled skyline.
Dubaiisrapidlybecomingaglobalhubfortechnologywithmajorplayers suchasMicrosoft,Google,AppleandIBMhaveastrongpresence.
Dubai’ssmartcityinitiativesprojectencompassesvariousprojects, includingsmarttransportation,governance,buildings,andhealthcare. TheyalsohavetheirownthrivingStartupscenewithcompaniessuchas Bit-oasisforCryptocurrencyinvestingandYAPformobileanddigital banking.
Dubai'sgatewaylocationhasprovidedanaturallink,making communicationandtransferenceeasyandflexiblebetween manufacturers,producers,andconsumers.ThismakesDubaianideal choiceforbusinessownersandinvestorstoliveandwork.Theexpat residentsmakeup92%ofDubai's39mpopulation Oftheseare240,000 BritishExpatslivinginDubaiandthecombinationofexcellentweather, highsalaries,attractivetaxregimesandacosmopolitanlifestylehave madeitapopulardestination. TheboastfulinfrastructureofDubaiisthesecondfactorcontributingtodriving theCity'spopulation.Demonstratingworld-classhealthcare,infrastructure, entertainment,education,andhospitablefacilities.
DubaiislocatedatthecrossroadsofAsia,Europe,andAfrica,demonstratinga convenientbaseforinternationaltravelersandmultinationalcompanies.
Charlie Woodward Digital Consultant in
I’vecalledtheUnitedArabEmirateshomeforthe pasteightyears,andit’sbeenincredibletowatchthe cityevolveintooneofthemostexcitingandfastmovingtechnologyhubsintheworld-especially withinthefinancialservicessector.
Bothfront&back-officetechnologyhasundergonea majortransformationwithcloudadoption,AIpoweredservices,anddigitalonboardingnowthe normratherthantheexception.Themarkethere remainsingrowthmode,withregionalbanks investingheavilyinmodernisinglegacysystemsto deliversmarter,faster,andmorepersonalised customerexperiences.
Large-scaletransformationprogrammescontinueto movetheneedleacrosstheregion,aswellasa vibrantandfast-growingstartupecosystempushing boundaries-bringingfreshthinkingandagilityintoa marketthatthrivesonprogresssettingnew benchmarksforinnovation.
Theregioncombinesambitionwithexecution, makingitauniqueplacetobeforanyonepassionate abouttechnologyanddigitalchange.
Mo Mayet Practice Director at Ernest Hunter Green SearchfromLondontotheMiddleEast I’vebeencoveringtheDubaimarketsince2008,whenI pivotedfocusduringtheglobalfinancialcrisis.Whilemuchof theworldhitpause,Dubaishowedresilience remainingopen forbusinesswhenothersclosedtheirdoors.Thatabilityto weathereconomicstormscaughtourattentionearly,andit’s whywe’vecontinuedtoinvestinbuildingourpresencethere eversince.
Whatstartedastheoccasionalclientinquiryhasgrownintoa corepartofourinternationalpractice.Dubaimaturedrapidly, andthedemandforgloballeadership particularlywith multinationalsandfamilyoffices—hasonlyintensified.
Pre-COVID,IwasvisitingDubaifourtofivetimesayear, buildingin-personrelationshipsthatremaincriticalinthis region.Now,whilemuchcanbedonevirtually,Istillmakeat leasttwotothreevisitsannually.There’ssomethingabout face-to-faceconversationsinDubai—relationshipcapitalis everything.
I’llbemovingtoDubailaterthisyeartolaunchourfirstErnest HunterGreenofficeoutsidetheUK,aswestronglybelievein thelong-termpotentialofthemarket. We’realsoseeingseriousmomentuminotherGulfcitiestoo. Dohaisonetowatch.Vision2030hasacceleratedinvestment, especiallyininfrastructure,sports,andfinance.Riyadhis anotherpowerhouseinthemaking ambitious,fast-moving, andattractingseriousglobalinterestandtalent.
It’safascinatingtimetobeinvolvedhere. Theregion’space,vision,andhungerforinnovationareunlike anywhereelseI’veworked.
Ash’s Tech History - Part 4 2001: It was the iPod that continued the tech world's inexorable move to a mobile-first environment. There were many MP3 players before the iPod. However, the iPod was introduced with what was -- for that time -such shockingly generous storage capacity that music lovers could take their entire music collection with them wherever they went.
2003: Most people think of the Android operating system as something Google developed, but that's not the whole story. Android was founded as a company, initially intended to build an operating system for digital cameras At one point, the company was so close to closing down, it couldn't pay its rent. That was then. Today, Android is the most successful (in terms of user numbers) operating system in history. Unfortunately, it's also fragmented almost beyond recognition, and suffers from many security concerns and forks Even so, Android is dominant numerically, and will likely remain so for years.
2004: In addition to facebook, the company Mark Zuckerberg founded in 2004 as TheFacebook and now known as Meta owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger, Not only has Facebook transformed how people connect and communicate, it's also created its own vast walled garden, filled with details about nearly every human on the planet. How it uses that data, how it manipulates that data, and how it protects that data will be a problem for all of us for years to come.
2005: In 2005, it was difficult and expensive to distribute video. I did some videos for clients and the challenges and costs were enormous. All that changed when YouTube made internet videos free for everyone. According to Google parent Alphabet (which owns YouTube), more 18to 49-year-olds watch YouTube videos on mobile than they watch any broadcast network. Google says the same demographic group dropped TV watching by 4 percent, but in 2015, increased YouTube watch time by 74 percent
2006: What can you say about Twitter (now known as X) in 140 characters? #TurnsOut #YouCanSayALot
Although Twitter increased its character count to 280 in 2017, the micro-blogging service created a new way to reach a tremendous number of people, instantly. Perhaps nothing showcases Twitter's power more than Donald Trump's initial rise to US President By using Twitter, Trump bypassed all the gatekeepers and built his own audience of dedicated fans
2007: The iPhone. It was rumored and anticipated for years, but when Steve Jobs finally held it up to show the world, the handset exceeded everyone ' s expectations. However, it wasn't simply the iPhone that blew apart the PC,music,landline and cell phone markets. It was the apps, which took another year
SPOTLIGHT: WOMENIN TECHSALES INTERVIEW WITH MARIE HANES AF:Firstly,letmethank youforallowingmeto interviewyouforthe launchof"TraderVoice Technology"magazine....... solet'sstartwithmy standardice-breakerish question.You'velivedand travelledtosomebeautiful citiesaroundtheworld, whichoneisyour favourite?
MH:Thankyousomuch,Ash andthepleasureistruly mine Andcongratulations onthelaunchofTraderVoice Technology!Itisafantastic initiative,andIamhonoured tobepartofthisexcitingfirst editionespeciallyknowing yourpassionandexperience inthespace,Ihavenodoubt themagazinewilladdreal valuetotheindustry! Ontoyourquestion,you seemtoknowmequitewell bynowandyesIama passionatetravellerand volunteerinmyfreetime, andIfeelincrediblyfortunate tohaveexploredover55 countriesandlivedinseveral amazingplacesalongthe way.Choosingafavouriteis difficult,aseachplacehas shapedmeinitsownway. Thatsaid,onecityIalways findmyselfreturningtois London.Thereisanenergy,a diversity,andasenseof endlesspossibilityherethat reallyresonates,both personallyand professionally Ifeelvery gratefultonowcallLondon home
AF:Sincewefirstmet,your company,InboundFintech (aDigitalGrowth ConsultancyandHubSpot solutionspartnerforFintech &Financialservices)wasin theprocessofrestructuring. Canyouprovidesome clarityonthis?
MH:Therestructurewasnotan easydecisionanditcamewith alotofmovingpartsand difficultchoices Wewereat thetimeandwestillarethe numberoneHubSpotpartner forfinancialservices.Weknew, deepdown,thattotrulyserve ourclientsfornowandthe futureandtostayalignedwith whatwearemostpassionate about,wehadtomakesome bold,excitingandalsotough changesdecisions Wehadto carefullyconsiderwherewe wereseeingthemostimpact, whatourclientsreallyneeded, andwherewecouldlead ratherthanjustfollowanda bigpercentageofour decisionswerebasedonthe datawehadandwehave gathered.Ultimately,the restructuringwasabout sharpeningourfocusaround revenueoperationsandnot justasaserviceoffering,but asastrategicenginefor growthinfinancialservices. Ourworkisaboutaligningthe operationalprocessesacross marketing,sales,customer success,operations,and beyond,ensuringtheyfunction togetherseamlessly Wehelp firmsreducetime-to-close (andinsomesectorsevena3% improvementincloseratecan
translateintomillions), improvedatavisibility, increaseoperational efficiency,andimplement solutionsthatgenuinely supporthowtheyworkin theirspecificsector.Alsovery importanttonotethatin highlyregulatedindustries likefinancialservices,we ensurethatthesystemsand processeswehelpputin placealsosupport complianceandreducerisk (andfines!),givingourclients confidencethatgrowthdoes notcomeatthecostof regulatoryintegrity
AF:Anotherbig announcementI'veseen forIFTistheawardingof twoprestigious certificationsofISO9001 andISO/IEC27001.Canyou explainwhatthismeans foryourclients?
MH:Yes,weareveryproudof that,thankyou,anditwasa greatinternalexerciseas well!AchievingISO9001for qualitymanagementand ISO/IEC27001forinformation securityisasignificant milestoneforus,andit meansourclients,especially infinancialservices,can trustthatweoperatetothe higheststandardsof compliance,dataprotection, andoperationalrigour. Ina highlyregulatedand security-consciousindustry, thesecertificationsoffer clearreassurancethatwe takerisk,governance,and qualityasseriouslyasthey
do,andthatisimportantto us
AF:Ihaveagreatpassion fortheFintechindustry. Howhaveyoumanagedto stayfocusedinthis excitingtechnologyspace withyourrelevantproduct offerings?
MH:Fintechwasoneofthe thingsweconnectedwith earlyon,andit'salwaysa pleasuretospeakwith someonewhogenuinely sharesthatexcitement!For usatInboundFinTech, stayingfocusedhascome naturallyastheindustryis evolvingsofast,andweare energisedbytheworkwedo Weprimarilysupporttwo groups:traditionalfinancial servicesfirmsembracing digitaltransformation,and fintechslookingto consolidate,optimise,and growsustainably.Whetherwe areguidinga150-year-old insurerthroughchange management,orhelpinga high-growthfintechunify dataandreducetime-toclose,ourfocusisalwayson deliveringrealvaluethrough smart,scalableoperations Thatiswhatkeepsus passionateandclearonour path,andofcourse,learning andhavingfunwhilstdoing allofthis,thisisquite importanttome!
AF:I'mintriguedafter readingyourarticleon RevOpsforFinancial ServicesFirms.
DoesthisallowIFTtomove intoadditionalIndustries?
MH:GreatquestionadI appreciateyouhighlighting thatarticle Whilstrevenue operationsisbecomingmore widelyrecognisednow,ithas beencentraltoourapproach foryears Usworking togetherwithSpeakerbus, andtheyareoperatingat theintersectionoftrading technologyand communications,wasvery interesting Projectslikethis reallyhighlighthowpowerful andadaptablerevenue operationsstrategiescanbe, evenwithinhighly specialisedareasoffinancial servicesThereisdefinitely potentialtoexpandinto adjacentindustriesinthe future,butfornow,ourfocus remainsonfinancialservices, wherewehavebeenactive foroversevenyearsand continuetoseeexciting opportunitiesforimpactand innovation.Thisisourhome andwearehappyhere.
AF:WhatsnextforInbound Fintech?
MH:Thefutureisexcitingfor InboundFinTech,AshandI amveryoptimisticand excited.treallycomesdown tocontinuingwhatwedo bestandfocusingon deliveringthebestservices, stayingclient-focused,and operatingtothehighest standards.Innovationisa keyfocusforus Weare activelyexploringandtesting
howAIcanenhanceour solutions,andaspartofthe HubSpotAICouncil,westay closetothelatest developmentsshapingthe futureofAIanditsimpacton revenueoperations.Weare alsogivingbackthroughfree masterclassesandcommunity initiatives Iamofferingprobonoconsultationstofinancial servicesfirmsandnot-forprofitorganisationsandifany ofyourreadersfeelwecan help,Iwouldbehappyto support,justconnectwithme onLinkedIn!
AF:WellMarie...acheeky question....whatdoyouthink abouttheideaoflaunching suchamagazinewithinthe TraderVoicetechnology space?
MH:IthinklaunchingTrader VoiceTechnologymagazineis abrilliantandverytimelyidea, Ash.Youarecreatinga platformthatgivesvisibilityto anindustrythatismoving awayandatpacefrom traditional,legacyvoice systemstowardsSIP-based architectures,cloudsolutions likeTraderVoiceasaService (TVaaS),andincreasingly,the integrationofAItechnologies. Youarecreatingaspacefor importantconversationsthat theindustryabsolutelyneeds, andIhavenodoubtTrader VoiceTechnologywillbecome akeyvoiceinshapingthe futureofthissector!
INTERVIEW WITH CYNTHEA SIVANATHAN AF:Firstly,thankyousomuch foragreeingtothisinterview forour"TraderVoiceMagazine" launch.....muchappreciated. YouhaveMicrosoft&AWSand nowDatastaxonyourCV, that'sagreatlistofLogo'sfor someoneunder30,hasMSand AWShelpedwiththeGenAI salesandunderstandingof CloudInfrastructure?
CS:Wellitcertainlygotmeused tolargeclientsandworkingfor organisationsthathaveplentyof offeringsacrossamultitudeof technologiesaswellasexposure totier1clients.Theyareplaced1& 2ofthethreebiggestCloud providersbyrevenuesotheywere excitingtimeswithsomany companiesmovingtothecloud. I'msuretherearemanyother underthirtiesjustasfortunate.
AF:Jumpingbacktotheintro ofhowwemetinNew York.......howdidayearinNew Yorkwith50otherBritshelp youinyourlife,friendshipsand workethics?
CS:Wellaone-yearplacementin acitysuchasNewYorkwas certainlyacareer-defining program...orwasit?Icameback toLondonanddesperately wantedtogoback.Wehadso muchfunbutmaybeitwasthe "Britsgoingplacestogether"that madeitforallofusandsogoing backonmyownwouldhavebeen verydifferent....whichI'llprobably neverknownow
AF:I'mintriguedbysomeone sellingAIplatformsintoclients, asAIseemstobementioned everywhereevenbymyten yearoldSon.I'mstillreading, goingthroughfactsand youtubevideosonthis.Iread ongoogletheotherdaythatAI canpredictearthquakesand volcanoesandothernatural disasters....howisthis possible?.....maybeatough question
kindofwave.It’llprobablygo throughacrashorresetat somepointtoo.Butthe companiesandideasthat survive–they’regoingto definethenextera.
AF:ItistoutedthatIBMare intendingtoacquire Datastax....isthis ongoing?......areyouableto elaborateonthis?
CS:Yesit'sanintentionbutthat's allIcansayatpresent.
CS:That'sareallyinteresting question–andhonestly,oneI’ve beenthinkingabouttoo.AIis beingtalkedabouteverywhere rightnow–fromboardroomsto classrooms–evenJackisonto something!Andyou'reright,there arearticlesandresearchout thereclaimingAIcanpredict thingslikeearthquakes, volcanoes,andothernatural disasters.Thetruthis…maybeit canhelp–butit'sstillmostly educatedguessesbasedon massivedatasets,patterns,and probabilities.It'snotmagic.AI can't'seethefuture'–it'sjustvery goodatspottingpatternsin historicaldatathathumans mightmiss.Soifacertaincluster ofseismicactivityhistorically leadstoanearthquake,AImight flagthatpattern.Butit'snot foolproof.Yet.We'restillatthetip oftheiceberg.Genuinely.Think aboutitlikethis:forsomething likeWhatsApptoevenexist,the mobilephonehadtobeinvented first.Andrightnow,inAI,we'restill inthatearly'pre-phone'stage. Thebigstuffisstilltocome.It remindsmeofthedot-comboom –andcrash–inthelate'90s. A lotofhype,alotofnoise,andyes, alotoffailure.Butoutofthat chaoscamecompanieslike Amazon,Google,andthe foundationsofthedigitalworld weliveintoday. IthinkAIisthat
AF:Thisinterviewisforthe Spotlighton"Womenintech Sales"partofthe magazine....Ibelievethiswill beaveryimportantpartof thepublication....andwill continuefortheforeseeable. Thingshavecertainly changedsincethe80'sand 90'ssopleasetellme,doyou seemorewomeninSales fromwhenyoufirststarted?
CS: Absolutely–there’s definitelybeenashift.WhenI firststartedintechsales,itwas stillverymale-dominated. You’doftenbetheonlywoman intheroom,especiallyin technicalconversationsorbig clientmeetings.Butnow,I’m seeingmorewomennotjust enteringthespace,butleading init–andit’sbrilliant.Women areheadingupsalesteams, drivingstrategy,andbringing suchapowerfulmixof empathy,commercialacumen, andresiliencetothetable.That said,there’sstillalongwayto go–especiallywhenitcomes torepresentationatthevery top.Butinitiativeslikethis spotlightareimportant.They givevisibility,createrole models,andhelpnormalizethe ideathatwomenbelongin thesespaces–notjustas contributors,butasleaders. I’dlovetoseeevenmore womengettinginvolvedinthis space,becausethefutureof techshouldbebuiltby everyone–notjusthalfthe population.
INTERVIEW WITH HELEN BEVIS AF:Thankssomuchfor allowingmetoconduct thisinterviewHelenand aswithallthe interviews,I’llstartwith cheekyquestionabout yourfarmlikehousein thecountryside andaskhowmanypets youhaveordareisayit, workinganimals?
HB:Justtosaybeforewe startthat“Theviewsand opinionsexpressedinmy responsesaresolelymy ownanddonotnecessarily reflecttheofficialpolicyor positionofthecompanyI workfor”
Ha,yesIthinktherewere manyjokesaboutthelionI waskeepinginmyback gardenreferringtomy Maincooncat’Frank’,who isactuallythesamesizeof ourCockerpoo,butsinceI workremotelynowIhave theluxuryofbeingableto liveoutsideofLondonand enjoythecompanyofpets insteadofcommuting everydaytoanoffice.DoI missanoffice?Yes,Imiss theinteraction,thebanter, thebondingbetweenthose youworkcloselywith.The samequestiononwhether Imisscommuting?No absolutelynot,thedelayed trains,thehoursspentnot beingproductiveand missingfamilyeventsare somethingthatIhave relishednolongerbeing accountablefor Working remotelymeansthatIcan bemoreaccessibletomy family,somethingformany yearsIwascompletely unabletodowhilstworking inthecity
AF:Withafewofyour competitionEOL’ingtheir oldproductsthisyear,do youthinkthiscreates moreworkand subsequentchurninthe voicerecordingmarket?
HB:Ithinkitsnosecretthat technologyisevolvingrapidly, andsuppliersmust continuallydevelopand refinetheirsolutionsto ensurecustomersbenefit fromthelatest advancements.End-of-life (EOL)foraproductisnever aneasydecision,especially whenthemantra“ifitisn’t broken,whyreplaceit”comes intoplay.It’sunderstandable whyonemighthesitateto investinsomethingnew whentheexistingsolution stillworks Icanrelatetothis conceptpersonally Ihadthe samehairdryerforaround20 years,anditalwaysdoneits jobofdryinghair However, afterexperiencingthe performanceofanew, technology-drivenDyson model,Irealizedquitehow muchanewermodeldriven byinnovationcanbemore efficientand effective,completingthejob faster,deliveringbetter resultsandjustgenerally morepleasanttouse.It’sfair tosayIwasaconvert. Similarly,organizations facingtheEOLoftheir platformsshouldseethisas anopportunitytoexplorenew solutionsinthemarketplace. Reviewingandadoptingnew technologiescanbring significantbenefits, especiallygiventhe advancementsintheTrader voicerecordingmarket.These advancementshavebeen substantial,particularlyin accommodatingthediverse wayspeoplecommunicateon tradingfloorstoday
AF:Ihopeyoudon’tmind butI’dliketoaskabout “WomeninTechSales” whichiswhyyouhave kindlyletusinterviewyou. TheTraderVoicetech spaceoverthelastthirty fiveyearshasbeenvery maledominatedandto somepointstillis.Would youagreewiththisand
howwouldwegetmore womenintoourTechnology area?
HB:Thankyouforthe opportunitytodiscuss “WomeninTechSales”It’s truethattheTraderVoice techspacehasbeen predominantlymale dominatedforwaylonger thanitshouldhavebeen, andI’mafraidtosaythat thetrendshowsthatthis sectormaycontinuetobe maledominatedduetothe lownumberofwomen enteringthisspace However, thereareseveralstrategies thatcanencouragemore womentojoinandthrive withinFintechasawhole: Companiesshouldwork withschoolsandcolleges topromoteFintechand encourageittobean inclusivecareerchoice, openingavenuesforgrowth anddiversitywithin individualsatmuchearlier educationalstages,but thatmustgohandinhand withabiasreductionin recruitment.Aiandblind resumesaregoingsomeway tohelpthis,butonlytimewill tellifthecandidatesthatget througharethenbeing actuallybeinghiredfairly. I’mafirmbelieverintheforce ofNetworkingandMentorship andalwaysensurethatIlook tohelpconnectwomenwith industrypeersthrough networkingevents,“Women ofFintech”doafantasticjob withthis,andVerintrecently sponsoredoneoftheirsocial eventsforthisveryreason Itgoeswithoutsayingthatif youarerunningan organizationwhooperatesan InclusiveCompanyCulture thenyoushouldhavea platformforopendialogue andsomewherethatwomen’s voicesareheardand respectedinmeetingsalong withbeingacceptedand integratedintothedecisionmakingprocesses,ifyouhave
thisthenyouareableto showcasetheachievements ofwomenintheareassuch astechsales,through companycommunications andevents.Thismediastyle ofvisibilitywilldefinitely helpattractmorewomento thefield.
AF:Yourecentlymade yourwayintotheVerint President’s Club...congratulations.... howdoesthatfeeland howdifficultwasthisto achieve?
HB:Thankyouverymuch! Beinginductedintothe VerintPresident’sClubisan incrediblehonoranda testamenttothehardwork andpersistenceoverthe pastyear Itfeelsevenmore rewardingtohaveearned thisrecognitionalongside myEMEAFinancial Complianceeammates Our team’sfocusonfinancial compliance,coupledwith ourabilitytodeliverhighvaluesalesand collaborationeffectively withourpartners,really showcasesourcollective resilienceandpatience especiallywhentheindustry asawhole,washolding backonmajor transformationandtrading floortechnologyprojects. Beingapartnermanagerat Verintmeansthatthistype ofachievementisalsoonly achievableifyouhavegreat greatpartnerstoworkwith, soabsolutelyImustalso thankthemforalsoputting inthehardwork.
AF:SinceI’veknownyou, thereseemstobeplenty ofLinkedinpostsand marketingproducedby youorre-postedfor others.Howmuchdoyou thinkthistypeof Marketing helpswithyourpartners andVerint?
HB:I’mafirmbelieverinselfpromotion,butit’snotfor everyone,andactuallyit doesn’tcomethateasyto me.Puttingyourselfinthe publiceyeforjudgement doesn’tsitwellwithmany peoplesoLinkedInpostsare verymuchlikemarmiteand itisthesameforcreatorsas muchasitisforthe consumers.PersonallyI’ve foundthatIcangainawider audiencewithsocialmedia posts,andthishelps promotetheconsumptionof bitesizedpiecesof informationonVerint productsandservices.Asa partnermanageritisalso importantformeto understandthemarketplace andhowIcanhelpbring attentiontoactivitiesinmy partnersecosystems Linkedinisaverypowerful tooltobeabletoreachout tonewaudiencesbutalsoto learnaboutoursectorin general
AF:What’snextforyou andVerintin2025?
HB:Aiisofcoursedrivingfast pacedinnovationand changeinthetechsector andFintechisnoexception. 2025bringswithitnew opportunitiestoassistour partnerswithstrategiesto increasegrowthand expansion,leveragingthe technologybuiltfor complianceandregulatory necessitytosupplyand enhanceadditionalbusiness challengeswithinthesame organizations.Bringing intelligenceandinsights fromutilizingbiometrics acrossvoiceplatforms,to buildingoutLLM’sand supplyingdeepfocused knowledgetoyourdata analysis Itisalreadyproving tobeaninterestingyearwith manydiscussionsnowin progresstobringthese advancementsintonew projects.
AF:Youmentionedina recentLinkedinpostabout VFCusingSpeechAIfor analytics(asmany companiesdo),isthere anyconcernregarding securityriskssuchas voicecloningfor maliciouspurposessuch asvishingoridentity theft?
HB:Voicecloninghasbeen verymuchinthenews recently,soIcanseewhy organizationsmightbe morevigilantaboutrunning analyticsthroughanAitool thatcantrackandidentify individualspeakers. However,mostorganizations willhaverobustsecurity policiesalreadyinplacefor theirexistingdatastorage andprocessing,thisisno exceptionandthechoiceto mapaUsernametoavoice patternwillbecompletely drivenbytheorganization andthepoliciestheyhave chosentoputinplace By default,weadviseanonymity whichisbackedupwith usingaproprietaryAiengine toomitdatafromentering thewiderAinetwork.
INTERVIEW WITH SALONI THANKI AF:Saloni,thankssomuch forallowingmeto interviewyouforthefirst magazinelaunchof TraderVoiceTechnology. Barclayswasmyfirst clientin2008andatthe timeglobalexpansionwas akeypriority.Canyou shareyourexperienceof managingprojectsinsuch afastmoving environment?
ST:Thatphasewasdefinitely oneofthemostexcitingand eye-openingpartsofmy timeatBarclays Igotto workonsomeamazing projects,deliveringdata centresinSouthAfricaand Dubai,settingupnetwork infrastructureinSouth Africa,andimplementing applicationsinSingapore. Eachplacehaditsown uniqueculture,whichwas fascinatingtoexperience, andIquicklylearnedhow importantitwasto understandthoselocal differenceswhen deliveringlarge-scale changeatpace.Managing projectsinsuchfast-paced andunfamiliarenvironments meantstayingflexible, communicatingclearly,and buildingstrongrelationships withpeopleacrossdifferent countriesandtimezones Overall,itwasafantastic learningexperiencethat reallyshapedhowI approachleadingprojects today
AF:YouwereatBarclays for16yearsandyouhada wonderfulcareerthere, howhardwasittoleave?
ST:MytimeatBarclayswas incrediblyvariedand rewarding.Ihadthe opportunitytoworkon projectsacrossWestern EuropeandEmerging markets,aswellasenhance riskandcontrolforthe infrastructureestatewith improvedprocesses.
MytimeinleadingCloudand cybersecurityinitiativeswas aparticularhighlight, deliveringindustry-firsttools toprotectcustomersand drivingtransformationofthe applicationestatethrough Cloudmigration.Iwas privilegedtocollaboratewith someofthebrightestminds intheindustryandam especiallyproudoftheteams Iwasabletoleadandhelp grow ItwasalsoatBarclays thatIdiscoveredmypassion forsupportingwomenin technology So,toanswer yourquestion,itwascertainly difficulttoleave ButIbelieve allgreatchapterscometoa closetomakewayfornew opportunities.
AF:Iwaskeentointerview Saloniwithinthe"Women inTechSales"section becausesheisnowan advisorandconsultant providingadvisoryservices tostartupsandcorporate clients.Howdifferenthave thelast11monthsbeen comparedtoyourprevious rolesatBarclays.
ST:Overthepastyear, transitioningfromaglobal leadershiproleatBarclaysto advisingstartupsand corporateshasbeenboth challengingandinvigorating Now,asanadvisorand consultant,Ileveragethat strategicandleadership experiencetodelivertailored solutionsforclients Whetherit’scraftinginvestor pitchesordeveloping enterpriseAIstrategies,I’m focusedonputtingthe client’sneedsfirst.Thevariety ofchallengesandcontinuous learninginthisrolehavebeen energising,enablingmeto maximiseimpactforevery client.
AF:I'mlookingatthe eclecticmixofconsultancy youareofferingyour clientsandI'msureyou
deliveredallofthese duringyourtimeat Barclays,buthowhaveyou preparedforthiswide rangeofofferings?
ST:I’vebeenintentionalby buildingaportfoliocareer thatleveragesmyexpertisein technology,strategy,and transformationhoned throughyearsofdelivering complexinitiativesatscale Toensuremyadvisory servicesremainrelevantand impactful,Istayaheadof industrytrendsbyengaging withfoundersandC-level executives,andoptimisingmy offeringbasedonclient needs.Thisapproachnotonly broadensmyperspectivebut enablesmetodeliver bespoke,high-valuesolutions thatdrivemeasurableresults.
AF:AquestionIhaveasked allinguisesforthese interview-the representationofwomenin techhasgrownsteadily overthelast30years,how haveyoufoundthisinyour career?
ST:Overthepastdecade,I’ve witnessedaremarkable transformationfromoften beingtheonlywomanonmy teamtonowworking alongsideaccomplished femalecolleaguesandrole models Thetechindustryhas madesignificantprogressin supportinginclusivity,but withwomenstillmakingup just25%oftheglobaltech workforce,there’smoretobe done.AsAIrapidlyevolves,we haveacriticalwindowto addressgenderbiasby prioritisingethicsand governance,ensuringwomen playacentralroleinshaping thefutureoftechnology.
AF:Ireadyouare mentoringyounggirlsfor acareerinSTEM.Iknow youmustenjoythis,what motivatesyoutohelpthe nextbigwaveofwomen intheTechIndustry?
ST:Mentoringyounggirlsin STEMisreallyimportantto mebecauseIknow firsthandthechallengesof beingtheonlywomanin theroomwhereIhadno femalerolemodelstolook upto.Later,whenIreceived mentorshipand sponsorship,Itrulythrived, leadingglobaltech initiativesandbuilding high-performingteams. Experiencingthepowerof mentorshipinspiredmeto givebackandhelpshape thenextgenerationof womenintech.
Asamotheroftwo daughters,I’mespecially passionateabout ensuringthey,andgirls everywherecanseethe excitingopportunitiesa STEMcareercanoffer
AF:Thisislikethat awfulinterview question,"Wheredo youseeyourselfin5 year 'stime"?...butI'm notgoingtoaskthis…
ST:YesAshley...that'sthe "sometimestough" interview question!!.......WellIthink I'mgearedupforthenext 5years.....soI’mexcitedto continueadvisingCEOs andBoardswhileleading AIstrategydevelopment forcorporateclients. Ilovewitnessingthe
transformativeimpact technologymakesevery day,andI’mespecially passionateabout amplifyingthatimpactby supportingwomenin technology There’sso muchmoretocome,so watchthisspace Andto myfutureclients Ifyou’re curioustolearnhow technologyandleadership intersect,orwanttoexplore waystoempowerwomenin tech,I’dlovetoconnect.
SPOTLIGHT SUSTAINABILITY H e r e s a p o e m I
f o u n d a n d w a n t e d t o s h a r e
H a ve a Ba ll
Whe n I wa s b o r n I wa s g ive n a b a ll. ( The b a ll wa s b lue a nd g r e e n).
M y M o m sa id “Sha r e a nd t a k e g o o d
c a r e . It b e lo ng s t o o t he r s t o o . Ke e p it
c le a n. Ke e p t he g r e e n p a r t s g r e e n. Tr y t o ma k e t he b lue p a r t s b lue r .If y o u lo ve t his b a ll it will ne ve r g r o w o ld. In f a c t it ma y g r o w ne we r . ”
So I did a ll t ha t I a nd I did so me mo r e , ‘c uz I lo ve t his b a ll a lo t .
A nd I ho p e t ha t y o u will lo ve it t o o ... it s t he o nly b a ll we ’ve g o t !
Jo e M o hr
Theideaofhavingasustainabilitysectionwasmadeaneasychoiceby theworkmyfriendDavidhasbeendoingwithE-Wasteandhisnewsletters onourcircularSustainability.SoIthoughtwecouldstartwithsomebasic facts: Plasticcantake 500+yearsto decompose. 2 11%ofbasic medicinescome fromflowering plants. 3
Onetreecan absorbup to48poundsof CO₂annually. 1
TheAmazon Rainforestisknown asthe“lungsofthe planet” 4 Coralreefs supportabout 25%ofallmarine life. 5 Beespollinate 1/3offoodwe eat. 6
INTERVIEW WITH DAVID ABOSCH AF:FirstlyDavid,Imust thankyouforallowing metointerviewyouon SustainabilitywhichI sayisveryclosetomy heart.
Inoneofyour newslettersIreadabout aTropicalrainforest wheretheycleared away76,000hectaresto makewayfor"caste nickelmines"....with devastatingimpactto animalsandalsothe subsequentreleaseof millionsoftonnesof carbonfromthemines. Iknowlaptopscontain componentsusingGold, Silver&platinumsocan youexplainthe refurbishing/reusing theorythatyouare promotingtoextend laptoplife?
DA:Laptopsdocontain componentsthatrequire preciousmetals,rareearth elementsandother criticalmaterials Each laptopmayonlycontaina verysmallamountof theseelements However, globallaptopproductionis intheregionof300m–400munitsayear,so cumulativelythequantity ofcriticalmaterialsusedis significant.Inmanycases, thesearethesame materialsweneedforthe transitiontorenewable energyandelectric vehicles.Asyouhave noted,theextractionof thesematerialsis enormouslydamagingto theenvironment.Theneed forcriticalelementsisalso becomingageopolitical issue,whichwehaveseen inTrump’sinterestin Greenlandandhisrecent dealwithUkraine.Chinais nowusingitsvastreserves ofrareearthsandits processingabilityas leverageinthetradewas
withtheUnitedStates.With thisinmind,wecannot continuetoviewthese materialsasdisposableThe averagecorporaterefresh cyclewhenitcomesto laptopsis4years The usablelifeoftheseitemsis atleastdoublethat A changetobehaviourin enterpriseITtoelongate refreshcyclescouldon aggregatereducedemand forlaptopsandother devices.Areductionin demandwillintimepush downproductionvolumes, reducingsomeofthe demandforextracting mineralsandmetals togetherwiththe environmentalharmthat does.
AF:CanyouexplainEWasteandhowmuchis createdintheUKandalso Globally?
DA:E-Wasteisatermto describeanyitemwithan electricalcomponentthatis disposedof Thecategory goesbeyondcomputersand smartphonesandincludes homeappliances, televisions,children’stoys, etc Globally,approximately 62milliontonnesofe-waste aregeneratedeachyear Thisamountisequivalentto theweightofallthe commercialaircraftever built.Percapital,theUKis theworld’ssecondlargest producerofe-waste,with everyman,womanandchild disposingoftheequivalent of24kgsofe-wasteevery year.
AF:IrefertoyourGlobal SupplyChaindiagramin Issue43andcanseehow consumersand"module creation"fitsinaround theworld...butstarting withcompaniesuchas Lenovo,HPandDell(as theyarethetop3laptop makersintheworld)...
whatshouldtheybe doingtohelphere?
DA:Whenwebuysoftware thesedays,weexpectto buyasubscriptionora service Thesameconcept couldworkwithend-user devices Thisisn’tanew concept–inthe1960sRolls Roycepioneeredan approachtoselling‘power bythehour’insteadof sellingjetengines. Goodyearhasstarted selling“solutions”toHGV fleetmanagersinsteadof sellingtyres.Thesearejust twoexamplesofa companiesthathave changedtheirbusiness modelstosellservices insteadofselling manufacturedproducts.In theseservitizationmodels, themanufacturerretains ownershipoftheirproducts andthecustomerpaysfor theuseofthemwithan advancedservicelayer.This hasasignificantimpacton design Ratherthan designingproductsto matchapricepoint, productsinsteadcanbe designedfordurabilityand forrepairability Whereas manufacturerswhosell productsareincentivisedto maximisethroughput–ie thevolumeofunitssold, serviceprovidersare incentivisedtomaximise theuseandlifespanofthe asset.Servitizationisaway forthelikesofLenovo,HP andDelltodrivedown consumptionofcritical resourcesandmaximise theirprofitabilityatthe sametime.
AF:I'dliketogetyour viewsonMega datacentresandtheir subsequenthousingof CloudorOnpremise Serversfortechnologies suchasBitcoinmining andAI. Ihearthereis somegoodnewsisthe
factthattheyare becomingincreasingly sustainableusing strategiessuchas energyefficiency measuresand renewableenergyuse. Despitethis, "Blockchain"intheform ofBitcoinhasbeen widelycriticizedfor producingover22-29 millionmetrictonnesof carbondioxideemission eachyear.
Againgoingbacktothe Applicationsource,what canbedonehere?....Also whataboutChatGPT andotherAImodels?
DA:Generallyspeaking,I agreethatweneedto reduceourconsumption Thatgoesforconsumption ofenergyaswellas consumptionofother materials Nevertheless,I thinkitisimportantto distinguishresourceuse fromenergyuse
Processesthatareenergy intensivetendtobe environmentallyharmful becausetheyrelyonthe extractionandtheburning offossilfuels,bothof whichgeneratesignificant levelsofCo2.Ontheother hand,energyfromthesun, thewindandthetidesis renewable.Ithasan environmentalimpactdue totheresourcesneededto manufacturephoto-voltaic cells,windturbinesand batteries,butthisisan orderofmagnitudelower thanwhatwouldbe neededtogeneratea similaramountofenergy fromfossilfuel AIhas greatpotentialtoimprove ourlives Yes,ituseshuge amountsofenergy orme thoughthefundamental questionisabouthowwe produceourenergy Itis cleartoanyonethatwe cannolongerrelyonfossil fueltomeetourrapidly
increasingenergyneed withoutoverheatingthe planet.Weneedto acceleratethemoveto usingrenewableenergy exclusively.
AF:Youmentioneda statementinNewslett 39:"Inthecaseof Windows,Microsoftha announcedthatitwill stopdeliveringsecuri patchesforWindows in2025.Anestimated 450–500million Windows10devices don’tmeetthehardw requirementstorun Windows11"Isthis situationthe regardingda numbers?
DA:AsfarasI yes Thereare exceptionsan butthesearel temporary Of ofthoseWindo thatwon’trun cancontinueb weswitchtoa operatingsyst recognisethat provideafant products,but dominancein doesn’tseem healthytome. methatbusinessesdont recogniseariskinth almosttotalreliance monopolysupplier.T shouldbemorechoi
Trading Turrets A trading turret or dealer board is a specialized telephony key system that is generally used by financial traders on their trading desks. Trading has progressed from floor trading through phone trading to electronic trading during the later half of the twentieth century with phone trading having dominated during the 1980s and 1990s.
CRM-Click to dial Click-to-dial is a feature that allows users to initiate phone calls by simply clicking on a phone number within a CRM or on a website, eliminating the need for manual dialing This integration streamlines communication, improving efficiency and productivity for businesses
Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It was created by Google but is now open source.
Azure Private Network To connect your Azure virtual network (VNet) and your onpremises network by using Azure ExpressRoute, you must first create a virtual network gateway. A virtual network gateway serves two purposes: to exchange IP routes between networks,
Cloud Native Apps Cloud-native applications are built to run in the cloud, focusing more on services and code than on the underlying infrastructure that is used to run them. Often based on a microservices architecture, they typically rely on containers for packaging and deployment of code.
Cloud Templates ARM Templates and Terraform are both Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools, but they have key differences ARM Templates are Azurespecific, using JSON or Bicep to define infrastructure, while Terraform is multi-cloud and uses HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL). Terraform's versatility and broad community support make it a strong choice for multi-cloud environments, while ARM Templates excel within the Azure ecosystem
Bond Trader A Bond Trader could start by purchasing three bonds: one with a oneyear maturity, one with a two-year maturity, and one with a three-year maturity When each bond expires, you'd then buy a new bond with a three-year maturity, repeating the process for as long as you plan to invest.
FX Trader An FX (Foreign Exchange) trader buys and sells currencies to profit from fluctuations in exchange rates. They analyze market trends, anticipate currency price movements, and execute trades to capitalize on these changes. FX traders can work for financial institutions or independently as individual investors, and their goal is to generate profit from currency conversions.
Equity Trader An equity trader buys and sells company shares (equities) on the stock market with the goal of making a profit They analyze market trends, research companies, and execute trades on behalf of their clients or their firm's own account.
Derivatives Trader A derivatives trader buys and sells derivative contracts to profit from price fluctuations of underlying assets, using various strategies like speculation, hedging, or arbitrage They analyze market conditions, utilize financial models, and implement risk management techniques to make informed trading decisions
Swaps Trader A swaps trader's primary responsibility is to buy and sell swap contracts, which are agreements to exchange cash flows or values between two parties These swaps are traded over-the-counter (OTC), meaning they are not traded on a public exchange. They involve exchanging one stream of payments for another, often related to interest rates, currencies, or commodities.
Market Maker A market maker is a firm or individual that provides liquidity in a financial market by continuously quoting prices at which they are willing to buy and sell a security. They essentially act as a "counterparty" to any trader looking to enter or exit a position, ensuring that trades can occur smoothly. Market makers profit from the difference between the buy (bid) and sell (ask) prices, known as the spread
We hope you have enjoyed the first edition of "Trader Voice Technology" magazine and hope you will tune into our second edition in Jan 2026:
WewillhaveaspecialSpotlightonHongKong, withitsvibrantstartupsceneofferinggovernment support,lowtaxes,amongstotherjewelsintheir crown.
WewilllookatsomecoolstartupsinFintechand digalittledeeperintothehistoryofhowthis IndustrywasstartedtoinnovateTechwithinthe Bankingsector
Wewillspotlightanewgroupof"Womenin Fintech"withthosewhoareinnovatingthis Industry
WewilllookintohowInvestmentBanks&Broking Firmsaremovingmoreaggressivelytooneofthe Top3cloudproviders
