BlackRock has entered into a strategic partnership with derivatives analytics provider Cassini Systems that will see its margin-based analytics integrated into the Aladdin platform.
The global asset manager said the integration is part of its multi-year investment in its flagship Aladdin platform’s derivatives functionality to help clients comply with regulation such as the Uncleared Margin Rules (UMR).
The first joint pre-trade initial margin capabilities will be available in September, providing users of the Aladdin platform with Cassini’s margin analytics to understand and control margin requirements throughout the trade lifecycle.
Users can analyse drivers and movement in margin exposure, opportunities to optimise collateral, and margin efficiencies.
“We are excited to partner with Cassini to help clients more efficiently manage their margin, leveraging analytics at multiple points during the derivatives lifecycle,” said Sudhir Nair, head of the Aladdin business at BlackRock.
“The combination of the Aladdin platform’s derivatives capabilities with Cassini’s margin analytics will enable our clients to best utilise their derivatives and collateral operating model on Aladdin.”
This is the second major partnership by BlackRock in the last month as it continues to expand the offering of its flagship Aladdin platform.
In May, the asset manager confirmed plans to bring more multi-asset trading capabilities to the platform through an expanded partnership with trading systems provider FlexTrade that will see its execution management system integrated with Aladdin.
“Mutual clients, including BlackRock itself, will now be able to leverage all of Cassini’s front-to-back margin and collateral analytics and optimisation tools, natively within Aladdin,” said Liam Huxley, chief executive of Cassini Systems.
“The ability to optimise and manage margin thresholds, as well as carry costs, at pre-trade time and execute post-trade margin and collateral optimisation natively in the same platform represents a new step forward in the industry.”