The next generation

Further to my post of the 14 May entitled, My Generation, outlining how Ajax is being used to build richer web applications particularly for trading front-ends, Caplin Systems announced the launch of such an application, Caplin Trader, today.

Caplin Trader is described as an "ready-made application that enables banks to build high-function multi-product trading portals in FX and fixed income." A major bank is deploying Caplin Trader, details of which are expected to be announced at SIFMA's Technology Management Conference in June.

"We are seeing a lot more people saying that in fixed income a bank portal is a requirement, which follows what happened in FX," says Paul Caplin, CEO, Caplin Systems. And although a number of banks already have web-based FX trading portals, Caplin says it is seeing a "refresh" of single bank FX portals banks built three or four years ago.

Caplin Trader, which sits on top of Caplin's integrated data and messaging platform, is targeted at the next generation of trading front-ends, which Caplin says will be much richer applications in terms of look, feel and functionality thanks to new technologies such as Ajax.

"There seems to be a lot of customers that want trading functionality integrated with useful information (prices, research, news), which is a way for banks to entice cutomers to trade directly with them," Caplin explains.

Caplin Trader's "drag-and-drop Ajax framework" includes standard components such as product grids, trading panels, trade blotters, trading tickets, product and instrument search, charts and news displays. Banks can more easily aggregate various sources of content on one screen by pulling it together in a browser. This is what is referred to in the biz as "mashups."