Eventus, a leading global provider of multi-asset class trade surveillance and market risk solutions, and Fennel Financials LLC, which just launched an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)-focused platform offering retail investors access to tools to better engage with companies, today announced that Fennel has chosen to deploy the Eventus Validus platform for all of its trade surveillance activities. Fennel will also be using the platform’s anti-money laundering (AML) capabilities.

Fennel launched its mobile investing app for equities in mid-November, providing in-app ESG data and rankings to educate retail investors on public companies’ ESG practices. Through the app, users can invest in publicly listed stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as they analyze the data.

Jenn Gatherer, Chief Compliance Officer of Fennel Financials LLC, said: “We want our customers and regulators to know that Fennel has a true culture of compliance and that we have employed best-in-class systems and compliance practices at every level of the business, aligning ourselves with companies that do the same. We will evolve as the landscape evolves, and Validus enables us to do that. I believe having a customizable, automated trade surveillance platform is imperative for a real compliance program.”

Eventus CEO Travis Schwab said: “We are delighted to provide the backbone for Fennel’s trade surveillance program as the firm grows its business through a truly innovative investing app. It’s exciting to continually expand into new and creative use cases in equity and other asset classes as our clients chart new territory and financial markets evolve.”

Gatherer has been in compliance for decades and has deployed a number of trade surveillance platforms, including Validus when in a previous role. She said: “The customer service at Eventus is second to none. The firm’s commitment to innovating, as well as hearing what’s important to clients and making that a reality are extremely important to me as a partner in compliance. We can tweak reports to our liking, and that ability to act independently or with Validus support is really powerful. Knowing what I need to find and then refining the requirements as we learn how our customers trade makes my job easier and significantly more effective.”

Also important to Fennel, Gatherer said, was that Eventus does not rest on its laurels and is constantly evolving to meet the needs of clients. “Many companies create a good system for the time, and they keep moving along with that system and really don’t adjust it or engage with clients. If they do, it’s often very slow to make those changes happen. The speed with which Eventus can make the changes is really impressive. If something needs addressing, the firm has demonstrated it can get that done instantaneously.”