MATRKE joins online industry bandwagon

MANILA, Philippines - Maybank ATR KimEng Securities Inc. (MATRKE) has joined the cyber investing bandwagon with the launch of its own online stock trading service.

The financial group plans to extend its reach to retail investors, particularly high net worth clients, through MakeTrade, a company official said.

“Maybank ATR Kim Eng has long been known for its stability, regional strength, and its strong relationships with both corporate and institutional clients,” said MATRKE Securities chairman and president Lorenzo Roxas.

“MakeTrade will allow us to provide retail investors with the same level of insight, skill and service that we do to our corporate and institutional fund clients,” he said.

MakeTrade, which can be accessed at www.maketrade.com.ph, allows online users real-time access to market data and trading capability.

Roxas said MakeTrade uses the PSETradex, the online trading platform developed by the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). MakeTrade will offer browser-based platform Xplore, application-based Xpert and innovative technical charting tool Xtrack.

“MakeTrade is the ideal trading partner for investors of all backgrounds, because the technology and amount of information available elevates them to the next level of trading,” Roxas said.

“We are pleased that investing in the Philippine stock market will be made more accessible to a wider base through one of the top financial institutions in the region,” said PSE president and CEO Hans Sicat.

While MATRKE Securities generates 90 percent of its business from foreign and domestic institutional funds, it has maintained a domestic retail presence for more than 20 years through its agency force in Manila and retail branches in Cebu and Davao.

“For us, growing the retail space is significant as far as our sources of revenues is concerned,” Roxas said.

The initial target is to convert high net worth retail clients into online customers through a new platform to execute trades. High net worth individuals are those who invest P1 million-P10 million in the market, Roxas said.

MATRKE Securities is backed by Malayan Banking Berhad (Maybank), the largest bank in Malaysia and the 13th strongest in the world as ranked by Bloomberg Markets magazine, as well as the expertise of Maybank Kim Eng, one of the region’s leading securities and investment brokers.