This publication brings latest news of product and service launches in the Asia-Pacific wealth management market.

Chi-X Japan is to launch a new "trading venue", called Kai-X, to enable clients to anonymously execute deals at prices equal to or superior to those available on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the company said after it gained regulatory approvals.

Kai-X is a "reference price" trading platform. Trading will be enabled at prices equal to the reference prices of: best bid or best offer as well as the derived mid-point between the TSE best bid and best offer prices. Japanese traders may also use what is called "minimum execution quantity"  to transact larger blocks of stock than they are typically able to on the TSE.

In a country such as Japan, where self-directed investment in equities and forex, for example, is relatively common, innovations in this area are important developments in wealth management.

Chi-X said that because it is not a securities market participant or affiliated with one, its Kai-X venue is neutral, where brokers can source liquidity on a "level playing field".

Kai-X will be open to all local Japanese and overseas institutional and retail customers via their Japanese broker-dealers, Tony Mackay, Chi-X's chief executive, said in a statement.