Oskar Wantola

As trading technology evolves, desks face a fundamental question: consolidate around a single monolithic platform, or embrace a modular, API-driven ecosystem? Proponents of monolithic platforms argue that a unified system reduces integration risk, simplifies governance, and ensures stability at scale. Advocates of modular design counter that flexibility, innovation, and cross-asset agility are only possible when firms can compose and adapt best-in-class solutions. This Oxford-style debate will weigh the trade-offs between efficiency and resilience, exploring vendor dependency, cost of ownership, interoperability, and the ability to adapt to future market structure changes. Is the future of trading infrastructure a tightly integrated fortress- or a composable, plug-and-play network?