Exclusive Interview with the Head of Asia for IS Prime HK: Mr. Will Robbins

IS Prime is part of the ISAM Capital Markets Group and offers full service multi-asset brokerage and execution via its cutting-edge proprietary technology. As a Prime-of-Prime, IS Prime provides aggregated pricing sourced from Tier One institutions, settled through the group's bank prime brokers.

Today, we are honored to have Mr. Will Robbins, Head of Asia for IS Prime Hong Kong, to join us at Fazzaco.

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Fazzaco: To what do you attribute your success, in Asia particularly?

Will: IS Prime Hong Kong opened an office in Hong Kong at the beginning of 2017. We are part of the ISAM Capital Markets Group which also includes London headquartered Prime of Prime, IS Prime and US-based risk management specialist, IS Risk Analytics.

Initially our focus was on the Group’s market-leading technology and providing on the ground support in the time zone. In December 2019 we were granted our Type 3 licence from the SFC, enabling us to broaden our regulated FX offering to our Asian client base.

Since then, we have gone from strength to strength in Asia, which I think is due to three keys points; the solid foundations we put in from the start, the reputation our high quality offering is gaining, and finally, the demonstration of our long-term commitment to the region through our SFC Type 3 licence.  

Clients also appreciate the fact that our group, ISAM Capital Markets, is majority owned by a large institutional, systematic hedge fund manager in the UK and that our sister company, IS Prime, is also regulated by the FCA. These are clear indicators that we are a professional institution determined to adhere to the highest standards across all areas of our business.

In the Asia region, relationships are key so we have spent the last four and a half years building strong relationships with the decision makers and owners of many brokers. This has significantly helped with client acquisition and development, resulting in our client base now being spread across all parts of the region, including in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Malaysia. We are playing (and hope to continue to play) a major role in helping our clients grow further.

Fazzaco: What are the most notable risk control solutions of IS Prime Hong Kong?

Will: One of our key differentiators is we can leverage the services of our other sister company, IS Risk Analytics (ISRA), which is also part of the ISAM Capital Markets Group. ISRA is a specialist risk consultancy with oversight of over $1 trillion in monthly notional trading volume. This data enables our team to spot trends (both regionally and globally) and to provide clients with unparalleled insight and risk management solutions. One of the most useful solutions is our ability to automate the risk analysis process for brokers to help them to identify, isolate and remove toxic clients. ISRA adds significant value to our offering, enabling clients to maximise P&L across a wide range of asset classes.

We also use our own proprietary back-office system, called Terminus, which helps our clients manage their risk and positions of flow hedged with IS Prime.

Fazzaco: What factors will you consider when customising solutions for a new retail broker?

Will: IS Prime is not a 'one size fits all' provider. We offer multi-asset liquidity, technology and risk services across the Group and deliver a tailored solution to each client. We start by gaining an understanding of our clients' businesses, their underlying clients, and their ambitions, and we customise our offering based on specific requirements. Clients can access our full service offering or select any individual components to bolster their existing trading operations. After the initial set up, we work in close partnership with clients to ensure they are getting the most from our services and maximising opportunities. We provide high service levels every step of the way.

Whilst we have many retail broker clients, of all shapes and sizes, our client base also consists of asset managers, hedge funds and proprietary traders.

Fazzaco: As a leading PoP, how does IS Prime manage its clients? What software or techniques are involved in the process?

Will: In terms of managing clients, IS Prime provides a high-touch, bespoke service to ensure the best customer experience. We value feedback and request that clients actively engage with our global teams. Dialogue and trust are paramount, so we make sure we are both proactive and reactive when working with our customers. The better we can support our clients, the more successful they will be. This is something we are regularly thanked for, an example is from the Head of Dealing at IC Markets.

Many conversations with clients are detailed and technical, whether they are in relation to optimising connectivity, their liquidity, or the commercial arrangements. This ensures our clients are set up in the most effective and efficient way.

This is a key responsibility of our ETS (Electronic Trading Solutions) division, which is a multi-discipline team providing trading, connectivity and operational support. Clients are always put directly through to the correct dedicated team member rather than going through a call centre or a ticketing system.  

Fazzaco: How is the growth of IS Prime and the ISAM Capital Markets Group in the region? What do you think of the trends across the region in the future?

Will: We have very ambitious growth plans for the region and are looking to be the "go-to" provider in the market. We are continually investing in our technology, our team and our product offering to allow us to grow our client base and to meet their increasing requirements.

In terms of trends, we are currently see a lot of opportunity from start-ups, particularly in the younger, emerging markets such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia.

We have also noticed a significant increase in the appetite for risk management solutions. We have found that the market volatility over the past 18 months has given clients reason to review their existing risk arrangements. Many new and existing clients have been looking to add risk management to their setup, either as a standalone service or alongside a more sophisticated bridge. As IS Prime and ISRA can offer it bundled in a package with our liquidity we have seen great interest in our solutions.

Fazzaco: What proprietary technology and tools does IS Prime boast at present?

Will: IS Prime's proprietary trading infrastructure, called Hubble, was developed by the firm's in-house team of quantitative developers and trading technologists. The platform delivers an even greater level of customisation to our clients, with bespoke liquidity pools and execution rules.

Elsewhere, there have been some great bespoke tools built by our team that are particularly relevant for Asian businesses. An example is our batch-hedging tool which has helped many of our clients in the region achieve a better quality of execution for their large volume EA, social and copy trader flow.

Our back office and risk systems, including those tools we offer to clients from ISRA, are also all built in-house, enabling us to provide much more flexibility in our offering and a greater level of service than our peers.

We believe that IS Prime's proprietary technology stands out in the industry. Our high standard of execution and bespoke solutions enable us to provide a competitive and compelling offering.

Fazzaco: Fazzaco has covered the BrokersShow Malaysia Virtual Expo. What is your opinion on virtual exhibitions? Will IS Prime consider attending any virtual exhibition in the future?

Will: Virtual exhibitions such as the Brokers Show are a great way to connect a community whilst restrictions are in place. The quality of technology available to run virtual exhibitions is very impressive. However, our preference is always for face to face meetings allowing us to properly build relationships and trust with our clients and we are looking forward to these resuming, hopefully in the not too distant future.