Abstract: Method and apparatus for trading financial assets, such as foreign exchange and money market instruments, commodities and securities. The invention, which may be accessed over an interconnected data communications network, such as the Internet, using a standard Web browser, as well as via a proprietary user interface, receives customer requirements, automatically combines and organizes those requirements into a batch of orders according to a set of customer preferences, and displays the batch of orders to the customer, along with indicative or actual price quotes, such that the customer may select and process multiple orders and multiple requirements simultaneously. Orders are priced and booked automatically.

Abstract: The present invention provides an order management and execution system and computer-implemented method for managing orders in an environment where the customer may utilize internal accounting and trading procedures that require filling a number of internal and external trading requirements for a number of internal and external trading accounts. The invention, which may be used in a variety of different trading contexts and for a variety of asset classes, automatically converts the internal trading requirements to external trading requirements and builds external orders, which are optionally netted and executed in the market using an asset trading execution system. Then the invention automatically converts the executed external requirements back to the appropriate internal requirements, records the internal requirements as filled, and optionally downloads the appropriate execution completion records to the customer's trading system.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for processing orders in a computerized asset trading system when the order contains trading requirements for trading accounts that do not map to trading accounts recognized by the provider trading system. The invention books trading requirements associated with the unrecognized trading accounts against a default trading account set up for the customer by the provider, thereby allowing the order to be processed instead of rejected merely because one or more of the customer-specified trading accounts has not yet been approved by the provider. The invention also allows providers to specifically block customer trading accounts, and to dynamically create approved trading accounts as they are needed so that subsequent transactions involving the previously unapproved trading accounts will be executed without using the default trading account. The invention also rejects orders for customer trading accounts that have been specifically blocked by the provider.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for managing financial transactions for multiple counterparties that allows traders, market makers, dealers, and prime brokers to negotiate with multiple liquidity providers simultaneously, and to receive and respond to transaction processing directives and settlement instructions in real time. The invention, which may be accessed over an interconnected data communications network, such as the Internet, using a standard Web browser, as well as via a proprietary user interface, automatically provides customers, traders, executing banks, funding banks, prime brokers and liquidity providers with up-to-date settlement and allocation details for previously-executed financial transactions as they are received.

Abstract: Systems and methods for executing trades on an interconnected computer network, such as the Internet, using a catalog of protocol-independent fundamental asset trading messages, called “gestures,” that support multiple higher-level trading protocols which characterize most asset trading transactions. Trading transactions requiring protocol-dependent workflows are composed from protocol-independent gestures selected from the catalogue of gestures and then passed one at a time to an online asset trading server. The online asset trading server transitions pending quotes and trades through a series of distinct states, based on the current state, the selected protocol-independent gestures it receives and a set of state transition rules, thereby implementing the higher-level protocol-dependent workflows.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for use by a customer for trading assets, such as foreign exchange instruments, using a variety of trading protocols on an interconnected computer network, such as the Internet. The invention generates and displays easy-to-use, context-sensitive and meaningfully organized panels or windows containing visibly distinctive, user-activatible selectors and input controls the customer can manipulate to select and execute trades against the best available quotes as they are supplied by multiple providers. In a single-bank execution mode, the invention automatically determines the best quotes received from a multiplicity of providers and helps the customer submit a single-bank order to one of those providers. In a multi-bank execution mode, the invention automatically identifies and helps customers submit a best multi-bank order, which may comprise a combination single-bank orders split up among multiple providers who have each submitted quotes having insufficient sizes.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for managing financial transactions for multiple counterparties that allows traders, market makers, dealers, and prime brokers to negotiate with multiple liquidity providers simultaneously, and to receive and respond to transaction processing directives and settlement instructions in real time. The invention, which may be accessed over an interconnected data communications network, such as the Internet, using a standard Web browser, as well as via a proprietary user interface, automatically provides customers, traders, executing banks, funding banks, prime brokers and liquidity providers with up-to-date settlement and allocation details for previously-executed financial transactions as they are received.

Abstract: The invention provides a computer system and method for trading instruments using a data communications network which allows users to selectively view market depth information for the instruments in a plurality of different styles, each style corresponding to one of the plurality of available market depth views. The user can switch back and forth between the plurality of market depth views, as many times as he likes, by using an input device to activate a control on a trading panel to select from the plurality of available views. The system includes a network interface for receiving a set of orders for the instrument from the data communications network, a display device, and a view processor configured to display on the display device a trading panel comprising a market depth grid containing sizes and rates that are derived from the set of orders received from the data communications network. The sizes and rates displayed on the market depth grid are determined by the selected market depth view.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for processing orders in a computerized asset trading system when the order contains trading requirements for trading accounts that do not map to trading accounts recognized by the provider trading system. The invention books trading requirements associated with the unrecognized trading accounts against a default trading account set up for the customer by the provider, thereby allowing the order to be processed instead of rejected merely because one or more of the customer-specified trading accounts has not yet been approved by the provider. The invention also allows providers to specifically block customer trading accounts, and to dynamically create approved trading accounts as they are needed so that subsequent transactions involving the previously unapproved trading accounts will be executed without using the default trading account. The invention also rejects orders for customer trading accounts that have been specifically blocked by the provider.

Abstract: A computerized automated trading system that allows users to execute money market transactions wherein the principal trading amount for a proposed money market transaction may be distributed across a plurality of different providers. Customers can make multiple money market deposits (or loans) for different amounts, and can split the total desired principal size of the desired deposit (or loan) across the plurality of providers, all from a single interactive user interface screen. Thus, the invention puts customers in a better position to obtain the best overall rate for the principal amount. The invention may also be configured to display a list of a customer's open money market trades, and allows the customer to select and roll over maturing trades. Customers can roll over single or multiple open trades for a given currency and use a different set of providers than was used for the original trades, or use a different distribution of the funds among the original set of providers.

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods liquidity providers can use to manage and reduce their overall market exposure when multiple offers to deal are received substantially simultaneously. The invention automatically processes offers to deal according to provider-specified parameters, including a customer trading limit, a global trading limit and an offer to deal duration. Computer systems configured to operate according to principles of the invention include a provider communications interface for receiving provider-specified customer and global trading limits, a liquidity status database for storing current customer and global trading levels, a customer communications interface for receiving an offer to deal from a customer trading system, the offer to deal having a value, and a liquidity manager configured to reject the offer to deal if the sum of one of the current trading levels and the value exceeds one of the provider-specified trading limits.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for providing price quote streams to a multiplicity of customers in an online asset trading system. The invention allows providers to establish, maintain and revise only one shareable price quote stream (or, alternatively, just a relative few number of shareable price quote streams) for each currency pair and have that one shareable price quote stream (or that relative few number of shareable price quote streams) automatically converted to customer-specific price quote streams and distributed to a large number of customers simultaneously, without consuming a correspondingly large amount of additional time or resources on the providers' trading system. Each customer-specific price quote stream contains quotes having order size parts that are derived from customer-specific factors, such as the customer's credit limit and/or the customer's requested order size.

Abstract: Systems and methods for executing trades on an interconnected computer network, such as the Internet, using a catalog of protocol-independent fundamental asset trading messages, called “gestures,” that support multiple higher-level trading protocols which characterize most asset trading transactions. Trading transactions requiring protocol-dependent workflows are composed from protocol-independent gestures selected from the catalogue of gestures and then passed one at a time to an online asset trading server. The online asset trading server transitions pending quotes and trades through a series of distinct states, based on the current state, the selected protocol-independent gestures it receives and a set of state transition rules, thereby implementing the higher-level protocol-dependent workflows.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for use by a customer for trading assets, such as foreign exchange instruments, using a variety of trading protocols on an interconnected computer network, such as the Internet. The invention generates and displays easy-to-use, context-sensitive and meaningfully organized panels or windows containing visibly distinctive, user-activatible selectors and input controls the customer can manipulate to select and execute trades against the best available quotes as they are supplied by multiple providers. In a single-bank execution mode, the invention automatically determines the best quotes received from a multiplicity of providers and helps the customer submit a single-bank order to one of those providers. In a multi-bank execution mode, the invention automatically identifies and helps customers submit a best multi-bank order, which may comprise a combination single-bank orders split up among multiple providers who have each submitted quotes having insufficient sizes.

Abstract: An online trading system for providers, customers and online trading servers, as well as methods of conducting online trading transactions, that incorporate processing components and steps that measure, monitor, report and utilize up-to-date network latency data to process offers to deal so that an unnecessarily large number of deals will not be refused. The systems and methods may also be used to make adjustments to the frequency and content of price quotes, based on current latency data, to improve customers' opportunity to submit offers that will arrive timely. The invention provides banks (and other liquidity providers), as well as online trading server operators, with sufficient information concerning network latencies so that price quotes issued by the banks can be “tuned” and customized so that they will not expire before the bank's customers have a reasonable opportunity to review the price quotes and submit offers to deal.

Abstract: The present invention provides an order management and execution system and computer-implemented method for managing orders in an environment where the customer may utilize internal accounting and trading procedures that require filling a number of internal and external trading requirements for a number of internal and external trading accounts. The invention, which may be used in a variety of different trading contexts and for a variety of asset classes, automatically converts the internal trading requirements to external trading requirements and builds external orders, which are optionally netted and executed in the market using an asset trading execution system. Then the invention automatically converts the executed external requirements back to the appropriate internal requirements, records the internal requirements as filled, and optionally downloads the appropriate execution completion records to the customer's trading system.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and apparatus for managing market orders which, upon receiving a set of customer requirements, will automatically identify and select a winning provider from a multiplicity of provider candidates and, at the appropriate time, execute trades to fill the set of requirements. The identification, selection and execution steps are initiated automatically in response to receiving the requirements without further participation from the customer. Moreover, the invention is designed to operate according to a variety of non-proprietary messaging and communication standards, including, for example, the Financial Information eXchange (FIX) and Society for the Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) communications standards.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for trading financial assets, such as foreign exchange and money market instruments, commodities and securities. The invention, which may be accessed over an interconnected data communications network, such as the Internet, using a standard Web browser, as well as via a proprietary user interface, receives customer requirements, automatically combines and organizes those requirements into a batch of orders according to a set of customer preferences, and displays the batch of orders to the customer, along with indicative or actual price quotes, such that the customer may select and process multiple orders and multiple requirements in simultaneously. Orders are priced and booked automatically.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for managing financial transactions for multiple counterparties that allows traders, market makers, dealers, and prime brokers to negotiate with multiple liquidity providers simultaneously, and to receive and respond to transaction processing directives and settlement instructions in real time. The invention, which may be accessed over an interconnected data communications network, such as the Internet, using a standard Web browser, as well as via a proprietary user interface, automatically provides customers, traders, executing banks, funding banks, prime brokers and liquidity providers with up-to-date settlement and allocation details for previously-executed financial transactions as they are received.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for conducting financial transactions that allows traders, market makers, dealers, and liquidity providers to negotiate with multiple customers simultaneously, and receive and respond to transaction solicitations and amendment requests in real time. The invention, which may be accessed over an interconnected data communications network, such as the Internet, using a standard Web browser, automatically provides traders with up-to-date market rates as solicitations are received, and provides a graphical user interface with sorting and filtering capabilities to organize displays to show pending and completed transactions according to user preferences. Counterparty customers engaged in transactions with the traders and dealers using the system benefit by being able to negotiate with multiple providers simultaneously, and by receiving real-time, context-sensitive transaction status messages and notifications as the negotiations take place.