View from the top

Hello everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to read the new issue of Game Changers Magazine, and it is a great pleasure to have on the front cover, my good friend and mentor Gabriel Styllas the Founder of Five Comply in Limassol.

In case you are not aware, Gabriel is one of the leading names in the FX ecosystem for your brands infrastructure, so it is always great to hear what he has to say.

It has been a weird summer so far with living in the blazing Cypriot sun, with a real lack of tourists that normally pack the streets. One upside is that you can get a good seat in a restaurant and gather your thoughts in peace.

Hopefully we are all getting back to normal soon, and can push on for a strong end to the year.

Thanks to all the team who put this issue together, and all the wonderful contributors!

Paul ORFORD

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Centroid Solutions DMCC

RICHARD BARTLETT Head of Business Development at Centroid Solutions DMCC

After the last editions (GC 27) huge response to our cover star Richard Bartlett from Centroid Solutions, we wanted to pick his brains about what many see as a quiet time of year. Can be maximised for the headlong rush towards the end of the year.

In Game Changers opinion, any effective CEO is not thinking of the beach, they are analysing how to get maximum performance from their institution in one of the most competitive markets in the financial sector.

Q I have often found that summer time has been a great time for institutions to put their feet up and say it is quiet, so nothing can be achieved. We have often discussed, that it is a great time to assess your brokerage to run at optimum speed. What are your thoughts on that?

Indeed, as business for brokers tends to be a little slower in summer especially August time, it is an ideal time to asses operational efficiency, such as reviewing new technologies etc. Now to a certain extent I think any time is a good time to potentially improve efficiency and in turn profitability of a business as this is the whole reason people are in business in the first place, but for sure, changing existing framework does involve resources that may not be as easily available during the more busy periods, so these quieter times are certainly the better to review and implement new technology.

Q I guess a common objection can be that we don’t have time to integrate a new piece of technology. Is there no better time than summer?

My thoughts here are simple, if a new technology can improve performance results and efficiency of any business then anytime is a good time to allocate resources to onboard such tech. During summer when organically business is slower, if I had to say, there

Q From what i understand, the true beauty of your product is that it is relatively easy to integrate to an existing infrastructure. Is that right?

Richard Bartlett Head of Business Development at Centroid Solutions DMCC

When implementing any new technology, it is imperative to plan it correctly and ensure it is fully tested and working as expected prior to switching to a live environment. At Centroid we have a great deal of definitely is no better time.

experience and knowledge of our client’s businesses and how they operate, so we can work with any new client and implement the most efficient integration process which in turn does make it relatively easy to switch to our systems.

Q From my personal experience, the vast majority of brokerages tend not to change their set up once they have opened. Why can this be a disaster for their bottom line?

Things move fast in this world especially technology, so something that was cutting edge a few years ago will never be as good as the latest technology available today. Now of course, existing technology providers will say that they are updating their technology as it goes but often these upgrades are superficial and will always be limited to the legacy type framework of the existing and often outdated infrastructure they are based on. The fact is, when it comes to improving performance results and operational efficiency of a brokerage it is mostly down to technology and risk management intelligence. So, if a broker is using outdated technology, they are likely leaving a lot of money on the table that they could be keeping in their own pockets. They may not even release this until they look at the fundamentals of how other technology can make the difference. This is where I come in to spread the word about how the very latest advancements in technology, like we have at Centroid, can add serious value and in turn increase profits etc.

Q As an outsider looking in, are all bridges fundamentally the same thing?

Many people assume this and it certainly is not the case. To be totally clear though a bridge is just one part of a comprehensive technology offering. For example, when someone takes our service, they receive access to the latest bridge but in addition they get a low-latency aggregator and bespoke risk management engine. It is with these additional parts of our service where the difference can really be substantiated between our offering and others. I would say to any broker to ensure they review what options there are on the market at least once a year and not assume as many do that all technology is more or less the same.

Q One experience I had a couple of years back, we were offered a technology that was incredibly cheap, and this was reflected in its performance and functionality. Should cost ever be a factor when assessing a new technology?

This is a good point to make and it is a bit cliché but you do in general get what you pay for, especially with technology. For a brokerage that relies on technology primarily for its overall performance it is not an area to skimp and save on. Having said that, cost still needs to be evaluated to ensure the value for money is there, but for sure the added value any good technology offers will pay for itself over and over again.

Q How long does it take you to do a demo?

This really depends on the people we are presenting to. All demos are tailored to the prospective buyer so is greatly driven by them and what they are looking for and questions they have etc. In general presentations are at least one hour sometimes up to two and a half hours. Plus, we invariably do more than one demo to the same company as negotiations progress etc.

Q Whats the best way to be reached?

You can find me on LinkedIn and our website

www.centroidsol.com

Alternatively people are free to e-mail me directly –

r.bartlett@centroidsol.com