SunGard has launched Assent ATS, an alternative trading system providing a crossing network for US equity trade order flow. The system helps customers access liquidity by aggregating order flow from retail, institutional and high frequency customers.

The electronic crossing network provides an opportunity for customers to fill an order before they send it to displayed markets. Customers can also use the Assent smart order router to participate in displayed and non-displayed markets.

The fragmentation of liquidity presents a challenge for companies seeking best execution, defined by price improvement, speed and likelihood of execution. Assent ATS provides companies with one execution point with access to diverse pools of liquidity, including dark and displayed venues.

Assent ATS, a component of SunGard's trading solutions, provides services from order receipt, trading and marketplace routing to post-trade analytics, compliance monitoring and clearing. The system allows clients to execute a trade within the same service.

SunGard's Assent liquidity services offer a suite of market access solutions for buy- and sell-side institutions. SunGard is software and IT services companies with over 25,000 customers in more than 70 countries.