Coupa Software (NASDAQ:COUP), a leader in cloud-based spend management, will launch Coupa Payments today to streamline the disparate and complex cross-border payment systems often used by buyers to transact with suppliers globally.

Coupa Payments will help unify those systems by digitising supplier payments and automating related payment processes with a cloud e-payables solution where nearly any supplier - regardless of size or location - is paid electronically and securely. Electronically-rendered payments enable suppliers to receive funds faster while customers enjoy a discounted payment amount. Moreover, customers benefit from Coupa Payments through reduced Accounts Payable costs, increased efficiency, and stronger supplier relationships.

“Before we started using Coupa Payments with Nvoicepay, only 30 percent of our payments were automated. Now almost 100 percent of our payments are automated," said Brad Goodson, CFO at Kauffman Tire. "This has freed up resources within the corporate office to spend more time helping our retail and wholesale locations better serve our customers as opposed to wasting time on administrative tasks and paper shuffling."

The rise of globalisation has created the need for cross-border payments which has led to an increase in both the complexity of supplier payments and the efforts of accounts payables teams. Coupa Payments helps solve these challenges by digitising the payment processes in 170 countries representing 140 different currencies. The solution standardises the process with the same payments workflow to provide visibility across the entire payment lifecycle.

“Last year, we were proud to be a CoupaLink launch partner. Since the launch, Coupa customers used our app to increase AP efficiency, pay suppliers digitally, and reduce costs,” said Karla Friede, CEO of Nvoicepay. “Strengthening our partnership to more tightly unify the data process and improve the customer experience was the logical next step.”   

The Coupa Payments solution leverages a CoupaLink app from Nvoicepay to pay supplier invoices, domestically and internationally, through the same unified process flow. Coupa Invoicing provides invoice confirmation to pay information to Coupa Payments. Once payment is made, Coupa Payments sends back information that the invoice was paid. The Coupa Open Business Network notifies the supplier via SMS text, email, and/or the supplier portal. The supplier determines which notification option(s) work best for them and they get them all with no supplier network fees.

“Coupa Payments help customers optimise their working capital by automating their global payment processes” said Donna Wilczek, vice president of strategy and product marketing at Coupa. “Payment automation completes the final mile of the Procure to Pay process and allows us to now offer a fully automated Procure to Paid solution.”

Born in the cloud, Coupa delivers a modern spend management platform that accelerates business by unifying processes across all the ways employees spend money. These processes cover travel and expense management, procurement, invoicing and related source-to-settle areas. Using the Coupa Open Business Network, the platform has connected more than 2 million suppliers and delivers a powerful solution for businesses committed to controlling their spend.

Neptune, the Fixed Income network for real-time “axe” indications, today announced the addition of Bank of America Merrill Lynch (“BAML”) to its network. With BAML, Neptune now has 22 banks signed to participate on the network with 19 live.

The Neptune network provides a venue for investors to consume the highest quality bond axes/inventory data from their most trusted Bank counterparts.  This enables institutional investors to be more effective and targeted when looking to execute large size orders in products such as corporate and emerging market bonds.

Nineteen bond dealers are already live on the network, providing axe information in real-time on over 14,500 different securities with over $131 billion in gross notional across 20 different denominations, including $35 billion in US liquidity. This is generated from over 26,500 pre-trade real-time “axe” indications in the network, daily. This strong growth is expected to continue with the 20th and 21st Banks due to go live in mid-Q2, 2017.

“With BAML on board, Neptune’s membership now includes the leading fixed income market makers. This is an important step forward in the development of our open-access, non-discriminatory network and will make these markets more efficient,” said Grant Wilson, CEO of Neptune Networks Ltd.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch will start providing their data to the network later in Q2, 2017.

“Neptune’s membership is already very strong, comprising leading figures from both sell-side and buy-side. The addition of BAML further expands the reach and scope of the Neptune data network both locally, in EMEA, and more broadly in the US region where Neptune has seen significant growth in liquidity this year,” added Wilson.

Neptune is a technology platform that started in 2015 as a project aimed at increasing and improving the quality of information available to corporate bond market participants using standard open source protocols, and thereby strengthening liquidity.

Neptune delivers data using open standard FIX, which means low costs for users connecting to the network but also ensures that the data is easily integrated with the various in-house and third party order management systems (OMS) and execution management systems (EMS) used by asset managers.

Neptune was incorporated as Neptune Networks Ltd in July 2016.

Capital Markets firms can now benefit from a new continuous compliance service for algorithm risk management, thanks to a partnership from new generation GRC solution provider OXIAL, and financial markets specialist GreySpark.

INDATA, a leading industry provider of software, technology and services for buy-side firms, today announced the general release of Epic Data API, a complete technology toolkit for connecting systems and data sources, extending or creating software programs, custom reports and mobile-friendly applications. The release is available to clients using INDATA’s iPM Epic solution, the industry’s first investment software platform specifically designed for the era of big data.

Buy side firms are under ever increasing pressure to not only replace legacy systems, but to do more with less by extending current systems to be able to keep up with the regulatory environment, increased investor scrutiny and downward fees pressures. This is where open APIs can offer firms a competitive advantage. APIs have numerous uses, effectively connecting key systems in a plug-and-play fashion, such as portfolio modeling/optimization applications, risk/analytics engines, compliance, OMS and back office systems. The use of APIs provide firms with greater flexibility, reduced costs and faster deployment times for essential information across the organization.

Epic Data API provides INDATA clients with a powerful technology toolkit that allows them to link and connect their external systems and data sources in a new way, resulting in the ability to provide accurate and up-to-date information via the big data tools already provided by iPM Epic, which can be leveraged to extend current software programs or create new ones along with custom reports and mobile friendly applications.

Implementation of Epic Data API also allows INDATA clients to unlock the power of their own INDATA analytics including portfolio and securities data metrics, compliance, performance, risk, attribution and other key system calculations which can be shared or used to power external applications and reports in an efficient manner. “We are very excited to announce the release of Epic Data API,” commented David J. Csiki, President of INDATA, “Epic Data API greatly extends and expands the capabilities of our iPM Epic solution, allowing our clients to leverage a best-of-class set of technology tools to create greater ROI, operational efficiency and reduced costs,” he added. For more information on INDATA’s product offering, visit www.indataipm.com

The use of APIs provide firms with greater flexibility, reduced costs and faster deployment times for essential information across the organization. Epic Data API provides INDATA clients with a powerful technology toolkit that allows them to link and connect their external systems and data sources in a new way, resulting in the ability to provide accurate and up-to-date information via the big data tools already provided by iPM Epic, which can be leveraged to extend current software programs or create new ones along with custom reports and mobile friendly applications. Implementation of Epic Data API also allows INDATA clients to unlock the power of their own INDATA analytics including portfolio and securities data metrics, compliance, performance, risk, attribution and other key system calculations which can be shared or used to power external applications and reports in an efficient manner. “We are very excited to announce the release of Epic Data API,” commented David J. Csiki, President of INDATA, “Epic Data API greatly extends and expands the capabilities of our iPM Epic solution, allowing our clients to leverage a best-of-class set of technology tools to create greater ROI, operational efficiency and reduced costs,” he added. For more information on INDATA’s product offering, visit www.indataipm.com

Algomi, the network company providing information-matching solutions for the optimization of fixed income liquidity, today announced that the company will acquire and distribute the award-winning ALFA product created and developed by AllianceBernstein (AB).

ALFA (Automated Liquidity Filtering & Analytics) was developed as an in-house liquidity tool by AB. It provides cross-market information on liquidity and trade intent in order to give the buy-side a real-time view of the entire bond market including government bonds, investment grade, high yield, emerging market, municipal debt, and structured credit.

AB selected Algomi in a competitive search process to acquire and become the sole marketer of the product, now called Algomi ALFA. It will be sold to fund managers across the buy-side, allowing them to consume data from electronic venues, messaging platforms and direct dealer inventory feeds.  Algomi’s focus on data technology solutions remains unchanged and was a key factor in AB’s selection process, further emphasizing Algomi’s agnostic stance on mode of execution channel. .

To protect individual client data integrity and ownership, ALFA clients will procure and own their own hardware via an approved cloud provider and Algomi will then install and deploy the ALFA software thereby maintaining Algomi's role as a pure software vendor.   As with all Algomi solutions, clients own their data and Algomi has no access to the data.

Algomi has acquired the intellectual property and technology behind ALFA as well as the brand name. AllianceBernstein is also taking an undisclosed minority stake in the company and a seat on the Algomi board of directors.

ALFA solves several problems in today’s fragmented fixed income markets. The platform offers benefits to the buy-side, including:

·     Aggregating the entire market landscape into ONE screen, to alert buy-side users of liquidity opportunities.

·    More informed decision making through capturing a range of “Liquidity Signals”

·     Helping traders determine not only whether to buy or sell a security, but also when and what mode of execution.

·     Speed & Efficiency – cut the required time to fund a new trading mandate from weeks to days, and allowing more rapid repositioning of portfolios.

·     Optimization of bond selection – can be better timed as a result of signals obtained through ALFA

·     Providing evidence for Best Execution and TCA – enhanced process through better data, and proof that trade was timed correctly

Algomi ALFA will be hosted on an approved cloud with secure and unique instances for each customer. This is consistent with the delivery approach of Algomi’s sell-side Big-Data Information Processing Engine, known as Synchronicity, which allows them to develop a data relationship with clients via API or GUI based on bank preference.

Stu Taylor, Algomi CEO said, “The buy-side community has to navigate an increasing variety of liquidity channels yet preserve their trading and data integrity. They must remain instantly and continuously aware of relevant trading opportunities in the market to achieve Best Execution.   Uniquely, Algomi ALFA acts as a conduit for all market participants including electronic platforms, data providers, sell-side firms and the buy-side in a way that enriches the interaction between these participants.  Market timing is everything.”

Temenos announces the appointment of Carl Robertson as its Chief Marketing Officer. Robertson brings over 20 years of sales and marketing experience to the leadership team of the banking and finance software specialist. He will be responsible for global marketing and communication activities and will help drive the business forward at a time when the banking industry is undergoing unprecedented change in a digital age.

Speaking of his appointment, Robertson commented; “The banking industry is undergoing a seismic shift in the way it operates.  The rate of change and the need for banks to offer their customers a rich, engaging and personalised banking experience is greater than ever.  We are seeing so much innovation in the sector and I am delighted to join Temenos as we work with the most successful banks to re-define our industry.”

A seasoned sales and marketing professional, Robertson has held senior management roles with some of the leading technology, IT and telecommunications organisations in the world. Prior to joining Temenos, he was Global VP Marketing with Tata Communications, helping position the company as a global leader in cloud, mobility and networking for enterprises, service providers and cloud partners.

He has also held senior management and marketing roles within both the residential and business markets working for leading global companies such as Orange and Equant and more recently with Colt where he was the Global Chief Marketing Officer and EVP Products. 

Following the launch last week of OpenFin's Community Edition, RSRCHXchange, the MiFID II research solution and marketplace, is pleased to announce that they are the first partner to join the OpenFin Community.