Single-dealer platform

rdf:langString Single-dealer platform

rdf:langString A single-dealer platform (SDP) is software used by an investment bank dealing in the capital markets to deliver trading and associated services via the web. The function of an SDP is to integrate pricing, liquidity, and information from multiple sources within a bank and provide access to them via a single user interface. It is thus both an integration platform and a delivery platform. Although the term SDP is sometimes used to describe an entire etrading suite, it properly refers to the integration and connectivity layer that sits on top of trading, pricing, risk management and other back-end systems. A key aspect of an SDP is that it merges information and services both within and across asset classes. An SDP will typically combine elements such as pricing, trading, research and technical analysis within each asset class, and then draw together multiple asset classes. Although in principle SDPs are applicable to all types of tradable security, they have so far been most widely used in OTC markets such as foreign exchange and fixed income. Single-dealer platforms should not be confused with single-dealer portals. A single-dealer portal is a stand-alone service provided by a bank for trading a specific set of products in one asset class, and is usually narrow in scope. A single-dealer platform, by contrast, is a broad layer of software that allows a bank to offer integrated information and trading across most or all of its businesses. Single-dealer platforms are sometimes also referred to as "single bank platforms". The terms are usually interchangeable.