KCG's new platform integrates its market making services across asset classes
KCG Holdings launched KCG Acknowledge, its new D2C market making platform, yesterday. The system will give clients direct access to market makers in equities, US Treasuries and forex on a single platform, and claims to provide a new level of accountability and transparency. It supersedes Knight Link and GET Direct, which will both be decommissioned.
KCG Holdings, Inc.

KCG

announced today the launch of KCG Acknowledge, a direct-to-client market making relationship that combines the benefits of advanced technology with the accountability and transparency of a direct, ongoing relationship with a responsible trading partner. KCG also announced that it will publish on its website Acknowledge execution protocols and FAQs for all asset classes. KCG is the first single-broker liquidity provider to deliver this added level of transparency. KCG Acknowledge brings KCG's bilateral direct-to-client market making businesses in Equities, U.S. Treasuries and Foreign Exchange under a single umbrella. KCG Acknowledge enables clients to tap into unique liquidity that is often hard to find in today's fragmented market. As a counterparty to every trade, Acknowledge provides accountability and transparency for our pricing and execution quality - trade after trade. Greg Tusar, Head of Global Execution Services said, "In today's high-speed electronic trading environment, accountability and transparency have become more important than ever - that is the vision behind KCG Acknowledge. With Acknowledge, we have a direct, one-to-one, ongoing relationship with our clients that enables us to not only ensure they are satisfied with pricing and execution quality every time, but also allows us to connect with them on a deeper level by understanding their unique objectives and workflows - which can make a real difference in long-term trading performance." Doug Borden, Co-Head of Equities Client Market Making, added, "As market complexity has increased and options for trading have multiplied, liquidity can be increasingly difficult to source. Acknowledge clients can rely on a well-known, trusted counterparty that is focused on building a strong, long-term relationship. Trading used to come with this level of accountability, and with Acknowledge, it can once again." KCG Acknowledge provides clients with access to all of KCG's global market making capabilities, including equities through Acknowledge EQ, fixed income through Acknowledge FI, and foreign exchange through Acknowledge FX. KCG Acknowledge EQ provides access to liquidity in more than 7,600 NMS securities and minimizes information leakage, often in hard to trade names. The Acknowledge EQ team works with clients to adapt to their specific trading architectures and capacities, and seamlessly integrates with their smart order routers or dark liquidity seeking algorithms. It complements clients' exchange and off-exchange venue routing, providing transparency and accountability in sourcing liquidity. KCG Acknowledge FI delivers reliable and accessible liquidity by building on a long history as one of the largest market makers in U.S. Treasuries. As a responsible counterparty for On-the-Run U.S. Treasuries, Acknowledge FI helps its clients to effectively and confidently transfer risk. Acknowledge FI's consistently strong, firm market, with large size and competitive prices through U.S., London and Asia trading hours, provides executable internal liquidity derived from advanced valuations. KCG Acknowledge FX provides clients with a direct connection to a market maker in order to find the FX liquidity they need. As principle, Acknowledge FX generates unique and competitive prices in G20 pairs and can customize pricing, tick updates, skewing and fill ratios based on the needs of our clients. Previously, KCG's equities market making offering was marketed under the name "Knight Link" and its fixed income offering was marketed under the name "GET Direct". Because these solutions are now part of Acknowledge, KCG will decommission both formerly-used brand names. Clients can access KCG Acknowledge beginning September 10, 2015. For more information on the advantages associated with KCG Acknowledge, please visit: kcg.com/ack http://www.kcg.com/ack .