HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Liquidnet, the global institutional trading network, continues its expansion in high growth markets with the announcement that institutional investors can now trade securities listed in Thailand.

The Thailand launch is the 42^nd market globally for Liquidnet and the 10^th market in Asia Pacific, further boosting the number of investment opportunities available for more than 740 of the world’s leading asset management firms. The launch comes amid growing demand from Liquidnet members to invest in dynamic emerging markets in Southeast Asia and source liquidity they need on a large scale.

Lee Porter, Head of Asia Pacific for Liquidnet, said, “Liquidnet is helping upgrade the investing infrastructure in emerging markets, such as Thailand, as our global members are seeking new investment opportunities which offer higher growth potential and diversification. The launch follows Liquidnet successfully opening up trading in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, which have provided investors access to large blocks of natural liquidity.”

The launch also comes as Thailand’s equity market rose to fresh highs in March 2013 and ranked as Asia’s best performing market in 2012, followed by the Philippines. Thailand’s GDP in 2012 grew 6.4% as the government boosted infrastructure spending and amid rising domestic consumption and higher private sector investment.

“Thailand is another milestone for Liquidnet as we celebrate our fifth anniversary in Asia, highlighting our ongoing growth, particularly in emerging markets,” Porter said. “Today we offer access to more than 70% of the world’s exchange listed public companies and we will continue to open-up new markets for institutional investors and bring down barriers to trading in high demand markets.”

Richard Coulstock, Head of Dealing at Eastspring Investments in Singapore, which is a Liquidnet member said, "Thailand is, in my personal view, a market where spread and liquidity issues can lead to high market impact costs, so the introduction of Liquidnet is a development I welcome. The ability to cross blocks at mid-market levels with no market impact could benefit our underlying clients and I have clearly seen the benefits of this in other markets.”

Liquidnet announced record volumes in Asia Pacific for Q1 2013 with principle traded rising 20% to $5bln for the first time. Daily liquidity surged from US$8.4bln to US$10.4bln a day, on average during Q1 2013, highlighting growing confidence in Asia Pacific equities. Average execution size in Q1 2013 across Asia Pacific was up 32% to US$1.26mln. In comparison, the average trade size on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in Q1 2013 was around US$5000.

About Liquidnet

Liquidnet is the global institutional trading network that connects equity investors with the liquidity they need. We go beyond what the retail market can provide by defending and securing the integrity and the anonymity of the block trade. We do this while continuously looking for ways to bring in new sources of safe, actionable liquidity from asset management firms, exchanges, brokers and corporations. Since we launched in 2001, our ability to anticipate and meet institutional demand has allowed us to extend trading to 42 equity markets across five continents for asset management firms who collectively manage US$12.4 trillion. For more information on the Liquidnet community, its liquidity, block executions, and additional investment capabilities, visit www.liquidnet.com.

© 2013 Liquidnet Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Liquidnet, Inc. is a member of FINRA/SIPC. Liquidnet Europe Limited is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, is licensed by the Financial Services Board in South Africa, and is a member of the London Stock Exchange and a remote member of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and SIX Swiss Exchange. Liquidnet Canada Inc. is a member of IIROC and a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Liquidnet Asia Limited is regulated by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission as a licensed dealer and a provider of automated trading services pursuant to the Securities and Futures Ordinance and is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore as a Recognized Market Operator. Liquidnet Japan Inc. is regulated by the Financial Services Agency of Japan and is a member of JSDA/JIPF. Liquidnet Australia Pty Ltd. is registered with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission as an Australian Financial Services Licensee, AFSL number 312525, and is registered with the New Zealand Financial Markets Authority as a Financial Service Provider, FSP number FSP3781.