Scott DePetris is president and chief operating officer of Portware, a provider of trading technology. 

What were the major themes of your business in 2014?

The buy side has been steadily taking more control over their trading and incorporating tasks and functions that it once relied on the sell side for, and this dynamic will become more pronounced in 2015.  In 2014 we saw some of the largest and most progressive buy-side shops begin to automate their most complex workflows across asset classes, and we expect this trend to accelerate next year.  Our A.I. driven trade automation tools helped to redefine the trading landscape by delivering a platform that adds value, removes cost, mitigates risk and consistently outperforms in today’s complex markets.  This led to Portware achieving its best results in the company’s 12-year history — an achievement we’re very proud of.

What are your expectations for 2015?

Global market dynamics, massive regulatory mandates and a wide adoption of electronic trading across asset classes has led to buy-side workflows becoming increasingly more complex.  Trading desks in 2015 and beyond will see a growing need for technologies that offer enhanced decision support, greater automation and customization capabilities and analytical tools that help them scale their business while increasing performance.  We predict 2015 to be a transformational year for buy-side FX trading desks. The advancement of tools that enable the buy side to meet their critical and difficult workflow challenges will be adopted at a rapid pace and expanded upon for other OTC instruments.