Improving global access to retail trading: Tradu partners with Adaptive to build new web and mobile platform
In 2021, a well-known foreign exchange broker that offers online trading services, set out to improve global access and the trading experience itself. The firm approached Adaptive to develop a User Interface (UI) capable of giving its diverse retail client base seamless use of its instruments, tools and asset classes while delivering consistent, reusable trading and post-trade workflows across desktop and mobile. In November 2023 the platform was launched under the brand Tradu.
Challenge:
- Design a tailored user experience that appeals to a wide retail audience whilst maintaining low latency execution, high availability and brand consistency.
- Ensure global access with geographical location of clients not prohibitive to platform access or execution latency.
- Reduce reliance on third party software vendors and their development roadmaps.
Solution:
- Adaptive worked closely with Tradu, building the interface around the user – allowing them to intuitively tap into a growing number of instruments and features through a new platform delivered via a Progressive Web Application (PWA).
- Adaptive integrated with existing proprietary and third-party tech creating a cohesive UI incl. codified, reusable design components.
Outcome:
- A new PWA, that caters to both retail and institutional clients. Sitting alongside Tradu’s previous platform, it gives greater access globally to the broker’s products and services without any reliance on native mobile apps delivered through traditional app stores.
- The new platform drives the user experience via a range of intuitive and flexible workflows using the same components and a single infrastructure.
Industry challenge
The retail trading space is increasingly competitive. As individual investors make up a growing proportion of trading volumes across asset classes, there is a lucrative opportunity for platforms that act as their gateway to markets. However, attracting and retaining investors coupled with a changing regulatory landscape is a significant challenge.
Platforms need to be intuitive, easy to use and give access to a wide range of markets and functionality. They also need to be able to evolve with the changing needs of traders and shifting market conditions – moving many firms away from relying on vendor technology and building their own.
Last year, brokers were faced with another issue: MT4/MT5 – popular front-end trading platforms used widely among brokers to access forex and CFD markets – were banned from Apple’s App Store. The ban sent shockwaves around the industry and spurred a move away from native apps built for the App Stores to progressive web applications (PWAs) which are browser-based apps – giving firms full control over their platforms.
A combination of these factors has spurred brokers like Tradu to take control of their technology – to guide innovation, navigate regulatory challenges and ensure their success over the long-term.
The brief
The project commenced with the build of a PWA that would sit alongside the rest of the platform to support CFD trading. As Tradu saw the application take shape – reimagining workflows and creating reusable UI components that could easily be leveraged across the wider business – the company expanded the brief to create a new user interface delivered through a proprietary web platform for mobile and desktop.
Tradu was looking to create a sleek modern trading platform for its diverse global user base by seamlessly bringing together assets and functionality through a cohesive UI. As well as improving user experience, Tradu wanted to be able to own its product roadmap – an important strategic advantage for retail brokers. This involved unifying the platform’s architecture in order to allow it to scale more easily over time while boosting resilience, enhancing instruments and bolstering security.
Lastly, global access was key. Access to its platform was limited in certain geographies due to reliance on mainstream app stores which in turn affected its operations. Tradu was keen to explore alternatives to ensure its client base could trade anywhere, anytime.
Technical challenges
The uniqueness of retail brokers’ operations and client bases often throw up a range of technical pain points. An evolving brief, shifting architecture and re engineering an operational platform were key technical challenges faced by the team when designing and implementing the UI.
Global scale:
Creating a truly global platform, accessible to clients around the world, was key. This involved building a platform that complies with a range of financial and tech regulation, while also catering for instruments and asset classes relevant to local markets. The interface had to factor in multiple languages (incl. logographic writing systems) and appeal to diverse trading preferences.
Evolving architecture:
While designing the UI, Tradu modernized parts of the underlying architecture as the firm’s offering grew to adapt to client demand. The Adaptive team had to plan for how changes in the underlying architecture would affect the front-end, while ensuring any new functionality was factored into the UI.
Consistency of experience:
The quality of a retail brokers’ brand is often reflected in the quality of its UI design. Adaptive therefore had to develop an app that would ensure optimal user experience regardless of screen size or format whilst providing ultimate flexibility for re-branding or whitelabeling.
“We have taken control of our technology, creating a highly intuitive user interface that we can continuously adapt as client behaviour and trading preference evolve over time.”
The solution
Working closely with the Tradu team, Adaptive delivered a new web-based platform – replacing the old tooling with a sleek user interface. The new PWA provides an app-like experience to users, while still being accessible through a web browser, removing the need to download and install an app. Instead, the PWA can simply be added to the user’s home screen, improving access, particularly for clients in jurisdictions that do not have access to Tradu’s native trading applications in their local stores, whilst working offline and in low quality network conditions.
Some of the benefits include:
A redesigned platform:
The new platform offers an entirely new look and feel across mobile and desktop. Adaptive achieved this leveraging its unique design expertise and tech accelerators.
Smart workflows:
The new user interface gives traders everything they need, all in one place – from news to research and market data – to help clients make more informed decisions.
Global accessibility:
The interface can be viewed in 8+ languages and is accessible regardless of location or base currency.
New tools and order types:
The new platform combines sophisticated tools and order types through the UI. Traders can create customizable functionality to suit their strategies, such as charting tools to help traders analyze market trends and have access to a wide range of order types – whether stop orders, limit orders or market orders.
Low latency and resiliency:
The new interface, tools and workflow design are all underpinned by resilient, low-latency architecture to support a smooth trading experience.
“Adaptive’s expertise, tech accelerators and collaborative approach were game changers – delivering a world-class platform in a tight timeframe.”
The future
Following the successful launch of the new PWA-based platform, Adaptive embarked on a second project – creating a UI tailored for equities. The new UI design and architecture is allowing Tradu to grow with its clients and gives it the means to evolve over time.
“The Adaptive and Tradu team worked in true partnership to redesign the platform, build out new tools and order types, and improve workflows, while maintaining the low latency and resiliency users expect.”