Amphora on CTRM Center podcast talking concentrates
Amphora’s Director of Sales and Marketing, David Glasspool, joined Gary Vasey, Partner at Commodity Technology Advisory and host of CTRM Center’s CTRMRadio podcast, to discuss the launch of Alchemy, Amphora’s CTRM platform for concentrates trading.
"With the launch this week of Alchemy, which is Amphora's CTRM designed specifically for concentrates, it's been perfect timing," Glasspool said. Before Alchemy, clients used Amphora's core CTRM, Symphony, to trade concentrates, but "there were significant obstacles to the users, as concentrates trading is significantly different to other commodities." Concentrates deals are traded mainly bilaterally, meaning contract terms can change frequently, and the exact weights and specifications of what's being bought aren't fully known until later in the trade. "Being able to capture and display all these nuances within a CTRM not specifically designed for concentrates is just impossible," he said.
Glasspool said Amphora identified the opportunity five years ago and, working with MRI, built Alchemy specifically for concentrates trading. He pointed to three differentiators: speed, user experience and completeness. "Entering all aspects of a trade and all the logistical details in Alchemy is extremely fast... entering a trade takes less than 10 minutes compared to other systems, which can take absolute ages," he said. He added that Alchemy's summary sections let users trace every component of a trade's price and P&L without relying on formulas or spreadsheets outside the system, and that all historical data is retained for audit purposes rather than being overwritten.
On where the market is heading, Glasspool linked demand for concentrates CTRM directly to the energy transition. "The energy transition towards renewables has really just begun... that has contributed to the recent surge in prices in copper, lithium and other metals linked to this transition," he said. Amphora's near-term roadmap for Alchemy is to extend its coverage to base metals, building on the platform's existing concentrates functionality.
Listen to the full episode above, or visit CTRM Center directly.
For more information on Alchemy, read the eBook: Alchemy – A New Age For Concentrates Trading.
Amphora is a global leader in commodity trading and risk management (CTRM) software, built for complexity and proven for over 30 years. Its Symphony and Alchemy platforms support the full trade lifecycle for firms trading crude oil, refined products, biofuels, coal, ore, LNG, metals and concentrates, delivered on a single-branch, highly configurable architecture with no forked code bases and no scripting. Amphora is delivered end-to-end by Amphora personnel from development and service centres in Dubai, the UK, India and the USA. Learn more at amphora.net.