Aquis Exchange has launched its European dark trading venue, the Aquis Matching Pool EU.
The new platform, which was mooted in April, is the counterpart of its UK dark trading service which it acquired from UBS MTF, the non-displayed matching pool of UBS MTF in March.
Dark trading services allow investors to trade financial instruments away from public exposure.
The exchange operator said that the new venue will “result in increased trading flow, market share and subsequent revenue for the MTF business.”
Additionally, Aquis anticipates the movement of its existing UK dark pool onto its in-house technology on 19 September.
“Dark trading continues to grow in Europe and we intend for Aquis to be an important player in this market,” said chief revenue officer David Stevens.
He added, “The launch of EU AMP therefore represents an important milestone for Aquis as we continue to grow our presence in this space.”
Dark trading has become a political issue in the post Brexit world, Regulators on either side of the channel seemed to have different approaches although they have grown closer in alignment.
The UK began lifting restrictions on dark pool trading in December 2020, and is now seeking to eliminate double volume caps (DVCs).
The EU appeared to tighten restrictions on non-transparent venues but in its most recent update to Mifid II, European regulators began are also thinking of scrapping DVCs as well.
