GTN and Blue Ocean bring nearly 24-hour US stock trading to APAC and Middle East

GTN and Blue Ocean Technologies have partnered to introduce extended trading hours for US stocks targeting the Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East markets. This partnership marks Blue Ocean ATS’s debut in the Middle East and furthers its expansion in the APAC region, enhancing the global reach of US equities trading.

Through this collaboration, GTN aims to provide its network of brokers, banks, wealth managers, and fintechs with the capability to offer around-the-clock trading on US National Market System (NMS) stocks.

Featuring electronic order delivery and live data during the newly extended hours, the service allows investors in the APAC and Middle East to engage in US stock trading during their regular local business hours, offering unprecedented flexibility and access.

Blue Ocean in APAC and the Middle East with the help of GTN

Before this partnership, GTN’s trading hours for US stocks were limited to 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. US Eastern Standard Time. The new arrangement extends these hours from 8 p.m. to 3:50 a.m. ET from Sunday to Friday, effectively providing nearly 24-hour access to the US markets and better aligning with the local trading times of international investors.

Throughout 2023, Blue Ocean Technologies has been actively expanding its global footprint, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region, with strategic partnerships in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan. Looking ahead to 2024, both companies aim to empower more international investors with expanded access to US equities during extended trading hours, reinforcing their commitment to global market accessibility.

Blue Ocean Technologies, established in 2019, is committed to transforming US trading into a global operation through its Blue Ocean Session, enabling trading during US overnight hours and promoting transparency and access across all time zones.

Brian Hyndman, CEO of Blue Ocean Technologies, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with an industry capital markets leader like GTN that shares our vision on the power of technology to grow our global trading customer base. The agreement is important to Blue Ocean as it marks our entrance into an entirely new market. The ability to expand in both APAC and the Middle East with the help of GTN was highly attractive to us and is in line with our mission of accessibility in markets all over the world.”

Manjula Jayasinghe, Group CEO of GTN, commented: “The partnership with Blue Ocean is another step towards realizing GTN’s vision to make global financial markets accessible to all. GTN remains dedicated to pioneering solutions that remove barriers and increase accessibility for investors globally. This partnership with Blue Ocean Technologies further reinforces this commitment, offering extended trading hours that cater to the specific needs of investors in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East.”

GTN serves brokers, banks, wealth managers, and fintechs

In October 2023, GTN launched a fractional trading engine for equities and fixed income. The trading platform provides retail investors with the ability to invest in high-value stocks and fixed-income assets in fractional amounts, thereby democratizing access to broader investment opportunities.

Fractional trading has been gaining steam as it allows retail investors to diversify their portfolios without the need for large capital outlays. By breaking down high-value stocks into more affordable units, investors can efficiently allocate smaller cash balances across a wider range of assets. GTN’s new offering aims to make the investment landscape more inclusive, offering fractional trading on equities, ETFs, and now, uniquely, fixed income.

The fractional trading engine will be integrated into GTN Trade, the company’s co-branded global trading platform, as well as its versatile API framework. This enables a broad range of financial institutions—including brokers, banks, wealth managers, and fintechs—to offer fractional trading services to their clients, thereby enhancing their value proposition.

GTN holds broker-dealer and capital markets services licenses in multiple jurisdictions through its subsidiaries. Its comprehensive trading ecosystem includes best-in-class execution, custody, and post-trade solutions.

With a team of over 350 professionals spread across key financial hubs worldwide, GTN is backed by strategic investors like the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and SBI Ventures Singapore Pte. Ltd., a group company of SBI Holdings, Inc., one of the largest financial services firms listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.