Welcome to the latest CMO edition of At the Forefront: Fintech Conversations!
To learn more about this podcast and explore our episode archive, click here.
In this installment, Forefront VP and Head of Content Sam Belden is joined by Khody Azmoon, Co-Founder and CEO of BLOX Markets, a retail-focused US equities trading venue set to launch in 2025.
Over the course of the conversation, Khody and Sam discuss what Khody and the team over at BLOX Markets are building, the ATS landscape at large and some of Khody’s predictions for the future of market structure in light of recent industry mandates from of the SEC.
The interview breaks down how BLOX Markets aims to bridge the gap between retail and institutional investors by opening access to retail market flow, resulting in better execution quality experience while providing a similar rebate experience. Sam and Khody discuss where BLOX Markets currently is in the regulatory process, with a planned Q3 2025 launch timeline.
Another key topic covered included the SEC’s amendments to Reg NMS and the implications for equity market structure, which Khody believes will be an overall net benefit for the market as a whole. We’ll see spreads tighten, exchange rebates lower and increased transparency around execution fees, with the retail investor being the ultimate winner.
Tune in for Khody’s additional predictions for equity market structure, including a decrease in taker-maker exchange venues as a result of SEC regulation, more innovation around both overnight and fractional trading, expansion into other asset classes and innovations in ATSs on both the institutional and retail side.
To learn more about BLOX Markets, visit bloxmarkets.com.
See below for a breakdown of what was discussed. Happy listening!
Timestamps:
0:40: Khody’s take on the current ATS landscape
2:55: What Khody’s team is building at BLOX Markets
3:35: The expert team Khody has assembled to build the BLOX markets platform
4:00 Khody’s perspective on the recent SEC adopted proposals around tick size and access fees and prediction on how they will play out in the years to come
