UBS picks BT to modernise global trader communications

BT International has been selected by UBS to modernise the bank's global trader communications. The rollout is now live in 17 countries, including Australia.

Under the project, UBS is moving trader voice services onto BT Trading's cloud-native platform hosted in Microsoft Azure. The bank is using the system to consolidate 20 trading platforms into a single global setup for trading communications.

More than 2,400 traders are already using the deployment, according to BT International. The companies described it as one of the first live uses of cloud-based trader voice services in banking.

Trading floor voice systems have been harder to move than many other communications tools because banks must meet strict requirements for resilience, oversight and local regulation. BT said the UBS system is designed to support compliance with local rules while keeping data within each jurisdiction.

The platform includes encrypted voice services, integrated recording and monitoring functions, and communication application server oversight middleware intended to meet regulatory compliance requirements in trading environments.

For UBS, the move replaces a fragmented estate with a standardised system across multiple markets. It gives the bank a common platform for trader communications instead of a patchwork of country- or desk-specific tools.

The announcement also points to a wider shift in financial markets technology. Banks have gradually moved more workloads to cloud providers but have treated trader voice with greater caution. Voice on a trading floor is closely tied to market activity, supervision and record-keeping, making migration more sensitive than for back-office or general workplace systems.

BT International said the new setup is intended to reduce complexity and improve operational efficiency at UBS. It added that the system can scale beyond its current user base.

UBS operates in more than 50 markets globally and reported US$7.3 trillion in invested assets as of the second quarter of 2026. The bank said the trading communications project had to meet technical, regulatory and operational requirements across a large international footprint.

Brandon Benson, Managing Director at UBS, outlined the bank's position on the selection. "BT was chosen as our preferred technology partner with the capability to deliver a fully integrated solution that meets our technical, regulatory and operational requirements. This ensures our traders have a robust, flexible and future-proof communication platform," Benson said.

BT International is using the project to highlight the readiness of cloud infrastructure for more tightly controlled parts of banking operations. It said the UBS rollout shows that trader voice workloads can run in the cloud in a live, regulated environment.

That matters because trader communications have long been tied to dedicated on-premise systems, often managed separately by region or business line. Consolidating those systems could help large banks simplify support, governance and deployment while preserving country-specific controls where rules differ.

The UBS deployment sits within BT's specialised trading business, BT Trading & Command. BT said its Enterprise Cloud offering is fully hosted in Microsoft Azure.

The project comes as BT reshapes part of its international operations. The group has said its International unit, which serves multinational organisations headquartered outside the UK and overseas public sector customers, is expected to be contributed to a new joint venture in the second half of 2027.

Joris van Oers, Managing Director, Sales & Commercial, BT International, said: "This marks a significant milestone for the industry. UBS' transformation demonstrates that cloud can now meet the highest standards of security, compliance and performance. As a trusted partner, we're proud to support UBS in building a future-ready foundation for its global trading operations."