AFME Champions EU Bond Market Transparency with New Consolidated Tape Provider
Europe's bond markets just got a shot of adrenaline—or at least, a long-overdue transparency fix.
The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) is rolling out the red carpet for the EU's first bond consolidated tape provider, a move that could finally drag fixed-income trading out of the dark ages.
No more guessing games on pricing. No more fragmentation headaches. Just a single, standardized data stream—assuming the usual bureaucratic speed bumps don't derail it.
Because nothing says 'efficient markets' like waiting decades for basic infrastructure. (Take that, legacy finance.)
Following the announcement that ESMA have awarded the tender for the provision of an EU Bond Consolidated Tape to Ediphy (fairCT), Victoria Webster, Managing Director of Fixed Income at the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME), said:
“We welcome the appointment of the EU bond consolidated tape provider, which represents another milestone in the process ahead of go-live. We look forward to engaging with Ediphy (fairCT) in the course of our continued focus on post trade transparency, including the quality of trading data.
“The EU bond consolidated tape will serve as a critical tool in enhancing and democratising access to post-trade information in the European bond markets. By consolidating trade data from multiple sources, the tape will provide market participants and investors with a comprehensive view of bond transactions, irrespective of their resources and level of sophistication, thereby improving price formation and discovery as well as market integrity.”
While the approval process is underway, AFME supports Ediphy (fairCT) in initiating the implementation process as soon as possible, to ensure the consolidated tape can be promptly delivered.
This initiative is expected to bring significant benefits to investors, issuers, and other market participants by providing timely and accurate information on bond trading activity.
Source: AFME
