Event Recap: Insights from the DSTA 2024 Texas Traders Convention

With major financial institutions opening campuses and the launch of the TXSE on the horizon, all eyes are on Dallas as the city continues to strengthen its position as the financial powerhouse of the Southwest.

This was the backdrop of last week's DSTA 2024 Texas Traders Convention, where financial services professionals gathered to network and hear from a lineup of expert panelists representing the buy side, sell side, and exchange communities. As a proud sponsor of this year's convention, CAPIS was excited for the opportunity to reconvene with fellow leaders in the trading space. Our Directors of Institutional Sales, Chris Halverson and Chris Hurley, attended a number of panels and roundtable discussions covering market structure, ETFs, listed options, trading operations, recent regulatory developments, and more.

With Election Day on the horizon, there was ample discussion on how the results could impact the financial services industry and SEC rulemaking, in particular. The panel "DSTA Market Frontline: Washington D.C.'s Election & Regulatory Outlook" featured national STA President Jim Toes, Williams & Jensen Principal Joel Oswald and former Acting Chairman of the SEC Michael Piwowar, who took a look at the SEC's present regulatory framework, recapped industry criticism regarding recent decisions made by the current administration, and unpacked how either presidential election outcome could influence the markets.

Similarly, the panel "DSTA Critical Conversations: Industry Trends and Risks in 2024 and Beyond" reviewed various ways that today's trading firms are staying competitive and compliant in a fast-evolving market, particularly in the wake of recent regulation. Panelists had the opportunity to hear from both sides of the regulatory equation, with Bloomberg's Larry Tabb moderating a conversation between another former acting Chairman of the SEC Elad Roisman and Steve Cavoli, Executive Vice President at Virtu Financial.

The session "Navigating Market Innovation, Crypto Trends, and Regulatory Waves" brought together several panelists from the exchange, digital asset, and vendor communities, including leaders from Dream Exchange, EDX Markets, Grayscale, NYSE, and S3, for a vibrant discussion on market evolution. The unique mix of TradFi and digital asset firms led to a compelling exchange of ideas for how market participants can evolve to meet the moment.

The convention also included several networking activities, including a golf tournament and a skeet shooting event. The CAPIS team was proud to support this year's event, which helped benefit the Marine Raider Foundation. As the 2020 national STA Chair and current DSTA board member, Chris Halverson has witnessed the growth of the Dallas affiliate its evolution into one of the larger STA affiliates in the US, and this year's substantial turnout was a testament to this growth. The industry excitement around Dallas as a rapidly growing hub of financial innovation made for a lively and educational 2024 Texas Traders Convention.

As a firm that prides itself on staying up to date with the latest economic and political trends that could impact our clients' investment decisions, the CAPIS team finds STA events like these to be invaluable. We're already looking forward to next year's event, which is scheduled for September 4^th & 5^th at the Ritz-Carlton in Las Colinas.