Trading Open On "Finance-Grade" Runtime HTML5

Web trading technology company Caplin Systems and "finance-grade" runtime technology OpenFin have partnered to accelerate the adoption of HTML5 for development of high-performance trading applications.

This alliance now builds an integrated solution combining Caplin Trader (a development suite for HTML5 trading front-ends) and OpenFin App Desktop (a secure application container based on Google's Chromium open-source technology) together as one.

The product arrives with the suggestion that it addresses two challenges faced by financial developers when building HTML5 applications.

1. First, many end-users in financial institutions run Internet Explorer browsers which are not HTML5 compliant, requiring applications to fall back to HTML4.
2. Second, native applications have traditionally been able to provide better user experience including the ability to tear-off panels, pop-up windows, deliver push notifications, and seamlessly integrate with local applications such as Microsoft Excel.

This joint solution claims to be able to address these issues by enabling HTML5 applications to run outside-the-browser with the same user experience and capabilities as native, installed applications.

Caplin Trader's HTML5 content built for trading applications is thereby "enhanced" when running in the OpenFin container, but provides continued compatibility with existing web browsers.

Patrick Myles, Caplin's CTO, said, "By partnering with OpenFin we can now cater to those customers who want to run HTML5 trading apps in a local container on the desktop. We are using OpenFin's API to extend and improve the desktop experience for these users with new features such as borderless popups and drag drop integration with spreadsheet applications."