Since entering the market, Order Management Systems (OMS) and Execution Management Systems (EMS) have provided tremendous value to buy-side firms. These technologies facilitate the end-to-end processing of the trade lifecycle by improving order management and trade execution workflow efficiencies, while also connecting the desk to key investment functions. In our proprietary survey of 200,000 financial services executives, 81% of respondents confirmed that these technologies provide high value to their firms.

In an increasingly electronic and global marketplace, the need for multi-asset, multi-region trading capabilities drives demand for these technologies. This is especially apparent in the EMS market where traders are seeking innovative tools that offer an advantage when accessing market liquidity.  Specifically, traders are now looking for EMS tools to support complex trades across multiple asset classes in both transparent and non-transparent venues. In many cases, buy-side firms implement more than one EMS on the desk to serve their demanding trading requirements.

In the more mature OMS market, the technology expands outside of the trading desk to incorporate additional functions of the investment lifecycle. Portfolio management, compliance, and downstream processing are all integral components of today’s OMS implementation today. Vendors with robust integration capabilities will be able to satisfy the needs of multiple users in this competitive market. 

Please take a moment to review our Buy-Side OMS Diagnostic Anatomy and Buy-Side EMS Diagnostic Anatomy, which will help you understand the key components of the investment decision. We also welcome financial services institutions to provide feedback on these two anatomies and measure their current system(s) effectiveness through our user survey on Buy-Side OMS and user survey on Buy-Side EMS.