Mobile technology already transforming many other industries is about to drive the next round of change in financial market data desktop technology.

A new report from Greenwich Associates, The Evolution of Market Data Desktop Technology,  reveals that an impressive 69% of market data technology users around the world use their market data desktop solution’s mobile capabilities.  Study participants included buy-side traders, portfolio managers and analysts.

Although these professionals assign relatively low importance and expectations to such mobile capabilities today, they have high hopes for quite sophisticated mobile functionality in just two years—functionality mirroring that of the desktop technologies they now rely so heavily upon, including the ability to execute trades and employ advanced analytics.

“While users consider ‘view’ functions such as the delivery of quotes, news and analysis as the most important mobile capabilities today, they see ‘do’ functions such as trade execution as the most crucial in just a few years,” says Dan Connell, Greenwich Associates Managing Director and author of the report.

Users Push for Open Systems and Integration
The new focus on mobile capabilities by no means translates into a quick and certain death for traditional market data desktops. Greenwich Associates research shows the participating market data desktop users are looking for new features but are also satisfied with the level of today’s products and services.

One notable exception: integration.  Users were broadly dissatisfied with the ability of market data technology to openly integrate with other integral tools, such as order and execution management systems.

“As such, users will likely push chief technology officers and other purchasers of market data technology to look for more open systems and integration improvements, offering opportunity for providers to gain an edge in a well-established and saturated desktop market,” says Dan Connell.