Large US exchanges had to shut down after the COVID-19 pandemic and turn to remote operating.
Jobs for unemployed amidst coronavirus. Since just a few of exchanges are going to resume work, the need for physical trading platforms are being questioned because of the concerns about the pandemic. But considering the fact that people all over the world are working remotely, will the traditional means of trading remain relevant?
Those parameters that used to be the industry standards are becoming needless because of the virus as the pandemic has had significant consequences for the world finance industry including stock exchanges.
After it had been reported that a number of traders and employees gave positive COVID-19 test, large exchanges announced they were closing in such cities as New York (those most affected by the disease).
Such platforms as Intercontinental Exchange Inc (ICE.N) and CME Group (CME.O) also announced they shut down working. As a result, many investors and employees had to close deals remotely. With all leading stocks falling and major corporations firing their personnel and announcing bankruptcy, there are rising concerns about how exchanges will manage to get back to normal operating. Despite this, none of the leading exchanges had any notable malfunctions or errors. Quite the opposite, many have reported high income over the first quarter of 2020.
Is there still a need for trading platforms? All these events have raised questions of the necessity of physical platforms. This opinion goes beyond the idea of financial world as many companies have successfully moved to remote operating and have managed to cope with the difficulties.
Cboe is expected to be opened by June 2020 to be able to execute some complicated orders that cannot be done remotely.
Bitcoin futures. All the currently existing digital instruments are being upgraded, so it may soon become possible to operate complicated deals remotely. This is what CBOE CEO Ed Tilly said in his recent speech, and this really makes us reflect on whether physical trading is still relevant, “We suppose that when clients claim they see no sense in big queues of traders, when brokers cannot deliver services, the electronic solutions may be the only way out”. Meanwhile, NYSE intends to open a new office in San Francisco while not closing the one on Wall Street.
CME, on the other hand, does not plan to reopen unless the government and health organizations give further details.
Although there are some signs of that the trading activity may recommence in the nearest future, there is still a question about whether we should go back to the way things were before. Is there still a need for physical trading platforms if exchanges can successfully operate online? It should also be noted that remote working can reduce the operational costs of organizations.
Thus, crypto industry relies less on physical location and has been actively growing over the recent decade. Considering the fact that cryptocurrencies are often taken as a possible alternative for existing financial systems, it would be rather easy for exchanges to move to remote operating.
