LONDON | SEPTEMBER 29, 2026

Buy vs. build: rethinking capital markets technology in the AI era

AI can build prototypes, but it doesn’t make it faster or cheaper to bring applications into production because engineers have to validate performance, security and compliance. Genesis doesn’t ask firms to choose between the speed of AI and the rigor capital markets software requires. We combine both.

Missed it? You can still book a 30-minute 1:1 with our team to explore how Genesis can help you with your own trading technology stack.

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WHY THIS CONVERSATION MATTERS

AI has changed the buy vs. build decision for capital markets technology – just not how most firms expect

AI makes the first steps of building an application more efficient, but bottlenecks to production remain.

Data integrations, governance, compliance and performance – the bedrock of any financial application – cannot be left to probabilistic tools. The Genesis framework overcomes this challenge through a standards-based foundation and guardrails that enable business and IT to go from AI prompt to production with confidence.

Now in its third year, Buy AND Build brings CTOs, CIOs and heads of trading technology together explored what AI means for software innovation and the technology stack.

SESSION RECAP

Will Brown was on the opening panel: The New Buy/Build Calculus

  • Speakers:
    • Seema Arora, Former MD, Head of Execution Services, Stifel (Moderator)
    • Cathy Gibson, Global Head of Trading, Ninety One
    • Anvar Karimson, Group Chief Technology Officer, Kepler Cheuvreux
    • Will Brown, Manager, Sales Engineering, Genesis Global

Genesis’s take: with AI, firms can put the buy vs. build behind them. The question is how to optimize what AI does best and streamline bringing applications into production.

What we talked about
AI strengths and weaknesses for builders
AI’s strength is turning business requirements into application logic. Where it fails is in building production-ready performance, compliance and security standards.
Costs of AI and how to optimize token spend
Frameworks that focus AI in the right ways can save 77% of token spend and reduce actual code by 60%, making building cheaper and maintenance easier.
Achieving an efficient technology ecosystem
How to build less, not more, to reduce complexity, streamline maintenance and promote standardization and efficiency throughout the SDLC.

Trusted in complex financial markets

Genesis is used to solve complex software challenges for leading global financial institutions.

Every Capital Markets Workflow, Covered

Single Dealer Platforms
Expand digital distribution and improve client experience with direct access to your firm’s pricing, liquidity and trading services.
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Institutional Middle Office
Accelerate post-trade workflows across multiple asset classes, with automated allocation, confirmation and STP.
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Sales Trader Workflows
Automate the sales trader desktop, replacing ad-hoc chat and email with structured workflows, real-time pricing integration and full audit trail.
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Non-Compliant Workflow Replacement
Eliminate spreadsheet and manual process risk with controlled, compliant workflow automation.
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Primary Markets Trading
Streamline new issues life-cycle for the buy and sell-side, from deal detection and book-building through to seamless execution.
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Order & Trade Management
Consolidate pre-trade liquidity, real-time positions and order flow into a single trading dashboard, connecting fragmented point solutions.
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Electronic Trading Venues
Genesis has built the full technology stack behind some of the market’s newest electronic trading venues, from concept through to launch.
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Reporting & Reconciliation
Configurable reporting and reconciliation modules for regulatory, client and management needs, owned and operated by the business.
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SEE GENESIS IN ACTION

Flexible, AI-ready solutions built to power modern, efficient capital markets technology

Capital markets trends

AI-powered apps

AI agents

Genesis and AI

FX innovation strategy

What we’re seeing across capital markets technology

Legacy modernization, business-critical internal applications, fragmented environments and AI-enabled development are changing the technology decisions financial institutions need to make.

In this short interview, Will Brown, Manager, Sales Engineering, of Genesis shares what we are seeing across major capital markets firms, why these challenges are increasingly interconnected, and how institutions are deciding what to modernise, connect, replace or build.

Build compliance, AI-powered apps for financial markets 

Genesis Create empowers business users and developers to deliver financial-grade applications faster with built-in compliance, governance, and performance at scale.

Embedding AI agents into running capital markets applications

Genesis enables AI agents to operate within applications and components to assist users in performing complex data and process operations.

Genesis and AI

The Genesis platform is a unique framework that allows AI to help domain experts build applications and operate autonomous agents within applications — with safety and compliance.

AI innovation strategy

Discover why financial institutions must rethink AI strategy and how secure, governed, AI-ready infrastructure is becoming critical for scalable innovation in capital markets.

Read the blog

Speak with our experts today

Explore how Genesis can help you navigate the buy/build decision with AI-ready infrastructure.

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