The financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed. Credit: Sutthiphong Chandaeng/Shutterstock.com.

Financial technology company EquiLend has acquired front-office technology provider Trading Apps in a move to expand its role in securities finance automation.

The acquisition is part of EquiLend’s strategy to enhance front-office to post-trade operations by integrating more automated solutions.

Trading Apps has developed trading tools such as the Lender and Borrower Apps, which automate workflows and help manage short positions, negotiate rates, and optimise returns.

The financial terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

Trading Apps CEO Matthew Harrison said: “By becoming part of EquiLend, we’re bringing together complementary strengths and setting the stage for what the next generation of securities finance technology will look like.”

Trading Apps’ TA.Link messaging service will be integrated as a resilience solution for EquiLend’s Next Generation Trading (NGT) platform, but will operate independently to maintain redundancy and stability. This move aligns with EquiLend’s aim to provide flexible tools either independently or in conjunction with existing services.

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EquiLend CEO Rich Grossi said: “This acquisition enhances our ability to deliver even greater value to our clients by accelerating automation across the EquiLend platform.

“The Trading Apps team has built high-quality tools that help firms move faster and operate more efficiently. Integrating these capabilities into the EquiLend platform will provide our clients with a broader set of solutions to fit their securities finance needs.”

EquiLend operates globally with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and Asia-Pacific, providing trading, post-trade, data analytics, regulatory technology, and platform solutions.

The acquisition is expected to enhance EquiLend’s ability to serve the securities finance industry by improving trade flow efficiency and reducing manual processes.

In March 2025, EquiLend received a minority investment from an affiliate of Bank of New York Mellon (BNY).

BNY will also join the initial users of EquiLend’s 1Source platform, which is designed to offer a unified source of truth for securities finance transactions.

1Source aims to improve transparency and reduce inefficiencies using smart contracts and distributed ledger technology.