Citi Securities and Fund Services, a division of Global Transaction Services, has subscribed to Participant Gateway, a message-based platform managed by the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx).

By subscribing to Participant Gateway, Citi will facilitate a direct, real-time electronic interface between HKEx's equity clearing and settlement platform, Central Clearing and Settlement System (CCASS), and its own back office systems to increase straight-through-processing.

Carmen Ling, global transaction services head for Hong Kong at Citi, said: "This is an important step for Citi to continually ensure our comprehensive Securities and Fund Services product suite is supported by a best-in-class operations infrastructure with direct market linkage."