Citi rebrands block execution platform
Global bank, Citi, has rebranded its Liquify ATS as CitiBLOC, a block execution alternative trading platform. The system leverages conditional orders to seek block execution, lowering the normal opportunity cost seen when trading stocks in blocks. The platform will only accept auto firm-ups, with an approximate 90% firm-up rate. A minimum of 5,000 shares or at least $100,000 is required per order. The platform complies with the SEC’s tick size pilot, as its executions are completed at mid-point. Citi has called CitiBLOC a “major milestone” in its platform.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citi has rebranded the Liquifi ATS into CitiBLOC, an alternative trading system designed for block execution. The platform leverages conditional orders to seek block execution while minimizing the opportunity cost typically associated with trading blocks of stocks. It is designed to only accept auto firm-ups, and has a nearly 90% normalized firm-up rate.1

CitiBLOC accepts conditional buy and sell orders and sends an invitation to firm-up to each of the participants when there is a potential match. It has a unique rank, time matching priority. Rank is determined by a combination of firm-up rate and size of firm-up orders. A minimum size of 5,000 shares or a notional value of at least US$100,000 is required per order. The crossing engine is also compliant with the SEC’s tick size pilot as all executions are done at midpoint.

“CitiBLOC is designed to leverage the conditional order concept in very unique and innovative ways seamlessly finding block crossing opportunities while encouraging and rewarding the right behavior among clients,” said John Procopion, Head of CitiBLOC. “We have created a closed-end venue that will help streamline the process and establish a safe and secure trading environment.”

“Innovation is core to our success and we will continue to leverage our electronic capabilities to further expand our product breadth and reach,” said Young Kang, Americas Head of Electronic Cash Trading. “This is another major milestone for our platform and underscores our commitment to provide best execution and premium service to our client base.”

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at http://www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://blog.citigroup.com/| Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi.

1 Normalized Firm-up Rate = (Number of Firm Orders + Number of Adjustment Events) / Number of Invitations to Firm-up.