The TRADE 60 | Page 48

[ I N - D E P T H | O U T S O U R C E D T R A D I N G ] [ I N - D E P T H | O U T S O U R C E D T R A D I N G ] OUTSOURCED TRADING: The future of the buy-side desk? With an increasing number of buy-side firms turning to outsourced trading providers in recent years, Hayley McDowell finds out how providers really operate and differ from agency brokers, and examines what benefits opting for outsourced execution can offer to the asset management industry. 48 // TheTrade // Summer 2019 O utsourcing hasn’t historically been linked to front-office activities and the buy-side trad- ing desk, but the notion of outsourcing trading and execution is starting to turn heads at asset manage- ment firms, both large and small. Industry headwinds and changes in market structure due to increased regulation have seen the buy-side evaluate the tangible benefits of outsourced trading, while the future of the industry remains somewhat uncertain. There are underlying issues with the front-office outsourcing industry, and these take many forms. To begin with, there is general confusion amongst Issue 60 // TheTradeNews.com // 49