BLOX Markets Progress Update #2: Q1 2025 Review

Key Developments from Q1 2025

We kicked off the year with some momentum — and here’s a peek at what went down in Q1:

• Our matching engine got some love from our engineering team.
• Over 75 broker-dealers are now raising their hands to potentially connect. Safe to say, the interest is mutual.
• Our analytics platform graduated from “internal only” to “client-ready.” We’re putting the final polish on it before opening the doors to external users (retail brokers).

Cap Raise/Investments Updates

• Humbled for some small investments to keep things moving.
• We’ve landed on a valuation that has general consensus, and we’re now laser-focused on trying to close our current funding round.
• Gave our equity rights program a glow-up: it’s now in official agreement form at the request of market makers and currently being poked at by legal. Almost there!

Technology Updates

• Analytics Platform: Remember when our analytics platform was just a behind-the-scenes prodigy? Well, it’s officially graduating from “internal eyes only” to “client-ready” status. We’ve been quietly refining, testing, and adding the final layer of polish, and now it’s almost ready for its debut to the outside world — starting with select retail brokers. We’re not saying it’s perfect (yet), but it’s getting there.
• Matching Engine: We kicked off the year deep in the trenches, refining our foundational trading venue prototype — a lean, mean, B2B API machine. It’s been doing its job behind the scenes, giving us the scaffolding we need while we prep the visuals to make investors swoon. But now, we’re shifting gears to the main event: matching engine development. Think of it as upgrading from a promising concept car to building the high-performance engine under the hood. This transition is more than just a milestone — it’s the groundwork for what’s coming next across our platform. Stay tuned!

Product/Research Updates

• AWS Cloud: This quarter, we’ve expanded our footprint in the cloud — and not just any cloud. After evaluating a number of providers (yes, we kicked the tires), we chose AWS as our primary cloud partner. Why? Their robust support for startups, deep capital markets expertise, and flexible infrastructure made it an easy decision. Plus, their team — especially Alex Mirarchi — has been top-notch. We’re now running our development and test environments on AWS, giving us the scalability and speed we need to build smarter and faster.
• Options Technology (Options): We officially teamed up with Options to supercharge Openpool with institutional-grade trading infrastructure and market data solutions. Why does this matter? Because building a modern market structure means more than just great ideas — it takes serious tech muscle. Options brings exactly that, with a reputation for powering some of the world’s most demanding financial environments. With this partnership, we’re unlocking low-latency trading infrastructure, low-latency market data, and the kind of trading backbone that lets Openpool scale with confidence. 👉 Read the full release
• Our ATS model continues to evolve, shaped by a steady stream of client feedback and insights from our in-house research. Meanwhile, other product and research initiatives are moving forward under stealth mode. We can’t share all the details just yet — but it’s coming.

Sales/Marketing Updates

• Kept the conversations going with ongoing client outreach and apologies in advance, but we owe a lot of follow ups!
• Gave our website a little extra shine based on client feedback by launching a streamlined FAQ section. 👉 bloxmarkets.com/faq
• Continued making noise (the good kind) in the media by championing smarter, fairer market structure.

Operations/Regulatory Updates

• FinOps: When it came time to choose our FinOp partner, we didn’t want fluff — we wanted some with US Reg NMS Stock ATS experience. The team of licensed FinOps and CPAs we hired, brings deep experience, precision, and a no-drama approach to broker-dealer accounting. With our provider, we’re not just checking boxes — we’re minimizing regulatory risk, improving reporting accuracy, and saving time (and headaches).
• CCO: Compliance isn’t just about checking boxes — it’s about building trust. We brought on a CCO (Chief Compliance Officer) who knows the ins and outs of operating a US Reg NMS Stock ATS. Their deep experience ensures we’re structuring things right, keeping both regulators and future partners confident in how we operate. Bonus: they speak fluent FINRA and startup.
• Launch Date: We are now targeting first half of 2026 but our launch date is flexible and a moving target. The bottom line is we’re scaling smart, not just fast.

A little legal love from our lawyers: please note that our trading venue is not yet operational, awaiting regulatory filing and is subject to regulatory approvals.