ETPLink raises $7M to modernise ETF market plumbing
What's the deal? ETPLink, a London-based technology platform for exchange-traded product (ETP) primary market transactions, has raised $7 million in an early-stage round led by Qube Research & Technologies (QRT)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Jump TradingDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Angel investor Arnaud Llinas, former head of Lyxor and Amundi ETFs, also participated and joins the board.
What's the endgame? ETPLink wants to replace the fragmented, manual processes behind ETF creation and redemption with shared infrastructure. Its platform uses API-led distributed ledger technology (DLT) and smart contracts to connect authorised participants, issuers, transfer agents, custodians, and fund administrators.
The company will use the funding to accelerate product development and expand across Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Why now? Europe's ETF market is expanding sharply. LSEG Lipper reported €346.7 billion in ETF inflows in the first nine months of 2026 — already above the full-year 2025 total — increasing pressure on the operational systems behind fund transactions.
Who's backing it? QRT is a global quantitative investment manager; Jump Trading is a major quantitative trading firm and liquidity provider active across equities and digital assets. Both are active market participants rather than generalist investors, giving the round strategic weight. Llinas brings issuer-side experience, now serving as operating partner at BlackFin Capital PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
ETPLink says the investment advances "an industry solution owned by key stakeholders and built for the benefit of the entire ETF ecosystem."
What could go wrong? The platform's value depends on broad adoption. ETPLink will need to win buy-in across multiple institutions to replace the proprietary and bank-siloed systems that have historically run creation and redemption workflows.
The signal: The backing from two quantitative trading giants points to a shift toward industry-led, neutral utilities for ETF plumbing. But the raise is a bet on market infrastructure in a fast-growing sector — not yet proof that DLT-based primary-market processing has become the industry standard.
Read more: tradetecheye.com
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