Institutional liquidity refers to markets where large institutions trade with one another. These markets consist of multiple available assets for trade with prices (and tiered volumes) on both sides. Companies involved in such operations are also known as market makers because they create active markets for traders.

Typically, they are managed by quants—individuals who can write code and understand the workings of financial markets, blending the roles of trader and programmer. By employing complex models and algorithms, they aim to optimize their inventories and find ways to maximize the efficiency of their balance sheets.

Why Institutional Liquidity Matters?

Institutions typically have access to better conditions due to several critical factors, including economies of scale, access to advanced technology, direct market access, preferred counterparty status, regulatory flexibility, and exclusive market opportunities.

Economies of Scale: Large institutions often execute high-volume trades, which results in lower fees, better pricing, efficient execution, and cost-effective techniques, allowing them to remain competitive in the market.

Access to Advanced Technology: Institutions leverage cutting-edge platforms, algorithmic trading, and high-frequency tools to maintain competitiveness. These systems can analyze large datasets, identify trends, and execute trades with minimal latency, which is crucial for staying ahead in fast-moving markets.

Direct Market Access and Partnerships: To secure the best pricing and execution, institutions cultivate relationships with key market participants, brokers, and liquidity providers. They often trade ahead of others and even engage in decentralized finance (DeFi) markets, further expanding their range of trading options.

OTC Markets: Over-the-counter (OTC) markets allow institutions to trade large volumes without causing significant market impact. OTC trades often provide better pricing, enhanced liquidity, and reduced slippage compared to public exchanges.

📣 #ESMA is seeking input on Liquidity Management Tools for funds under the revised AIFMD and the #UCITS Directive.

🗓️ Send your input by 8 Octoberhttps://t.co/LxNEEX7i2O pic.twitter.com/6G2K4CVVim

— ESMA - EU Securities Markets Regulator 🇪🇺 (@ESMAComms) July 8, 2024

How Do Institutions Become So Competitive?

Institutions become highly competitive due to several key factors. First, they wield substantial balance sheets and investment capital, which enable them to hire top talent, implement cutting-edge technology, and secure the necessary credit lines to fund large-scale operations. This financial firepower gives them a strategic advantage right from the start.

One of the most significant mistakes made by retail-focused entities is relying on liquidity sourced from other retail venues, which is then repackaged and marketed as institutional liquidity. This approach can create misleading representations of prevailing market conditions offered to clients.

To provide your clientele with top-tier market conditions that offer true value, it is crucial to access institutional liquidity directly rather than recycle liquidity from other retail vendors.

The Biggest Mistake Retail-Focused Entities Make

By failing to access genuine institutional liquidity, retail brokers not only compromise the trading conditions offered to their clients but also inadvertently support their competitors. When liquidity is recycled across retail venues, its value becomes diluted, and the true nature of a market becomes blurred.

Recycling liquidity information often becomes counterproductive because this inadvertently helps competitors to grow at the expense of retail brokers. Rival companies can take advantage of different pricing methods in multiple liquidity pools by conducting relatively low-risk arbitrage strategies.

To remain competitive, retail entities must establish direct relationships with institutional liquidity providers, ensuring they receive the same high-quality market conditions as large institutions typically do. This way, they protect their position in the market while delivering superior execution and pricing to their traders, keeping their clientele satisfied and loyal.

Complexity Can Drive Revenues

Offering retail investors complex products such as options, perpetual futures, and other derivatives requires access to market makers with a robust risk management system to ensure accurate pricing and efficient execution. Accurate pricing at all times is crucial, especially for retail brokers dealing with options.

They must ensure that prices are realistic and premiums are correctly calculated because even minor errors could result in missed opportunities, miscalculated risks, and, ultimately, financial losses.

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— Aquanow (@aquanow) January 17, 2024

This principle applies just as much to cryptocurrencies. In volatile markets like crypto, brokers must constantly access up-to-date market information and monitor client accounts for short-term volatility. Failure to do so will eventually result in insufficient capital remaining to cover obligations if the broker carries risk instead of hedging it via the market.

If market movements are not adequately anticipated and managed, the broker could become exposed to substantial financial liabilities, especially during heightened market volatility. Choosing the right institutional partner is crucial, as a partnership with an institution extends beyond just mitigating counterparty risk (related to the holding of funds); it encompasses knowledge, experience, and innovation.