Symphony messaging

Symphony is an instant messaging service designed for use by financial firms. The software features include workplace chat, voice calling, video conferencing, encryption, and support for third-party plugins. Symphony is developed by Symphony Communication Services.Quick Facts Industry, Genre ...CloseThe technology was initially developed by Goldman Sachs as an internal messaging system called Live Current.[1] In October 2014, Goldman Sachs and 14 other financial institutions invested $66 million to establish Symphony Communication Services LLC[2] and acquire Perzo, Inc.,[3] a secure communication application known for its end-to-end encryption messaging.[4]Perzo was founded by David Gurle in 2012, and he served as Symphony's CEO from 2014 to 2021.[5] Gurle played a role in developing communication solutions for Skype, Thomson Reuters, and Microsoft.[6]Symphony 2.0 was announced during the company's annual Innovate Conference in New York City in October 2019.[7][1] The release of software components called Elements aimed to facilitate the development of custom applications on the Symphony platform.[8] Symphony 2.0 was launched one year later.[9]By 2020, Symphony claimed to have amassed over 400,000 users on its platform.[9]Brad Levy joined Symphony in July 2020 as the president and chief commercial officer. In June 2021, he assumed the role of chief executive officer after former founder David Gurle stepped down from the executive position. Levy had previous experience working at Goldman Sachs and IHS Markit before joining Symphony.[10]In September 2014, fifteen financial firms, including Bank of America and BNY Mellon, made investments in Symphony.[11]In October 2015, Symphony announced a successful funding round of $100 million, led by Google. Lakestar, Natixis, and other firms also participated in the investment.[12]In May 2017, Symphony secured an additional $63 million in funding from BNP Paribas and existing investors, resulting in a total valuation of the company surpassing $1 billion.[13]In June 2019, Symphony announced a funding round of $165 million with a valuation of $1.4 billion. Standard Chartered, MUFG Innovation Partners, and other undisclosed current and new investors contributed to the funding. Since September 2014, Symphony has raised a total of $460 million.[14]The company's most recent funding round took place in December 2020, known as the Series E round, where it raised $50 million from existing investors.[15]On November 28, 2014, Symphony Communication Services LLC completed the acquisition of technology assets from Collaboration Services, the open messaging network developed by Markit Ltd. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.[16]On June 24, 2021, Symphony Communication Services LLC acquired Cloud9 Technologies, a voice

Symphony Platform to Enable Secure Directory of Vetted Identities for Financial ServicesPalo Alto, CA, December 2, 2014 – Symphony Communication Services LLC, a secure communication and workflow technology company, announced that it is acquiring technology assets developed by Collaboration Services, the open messaging network from Markit. In October, Symphony was formed by a group of the world’s leading financial institutions. This acquisition represents the company’s first major transaction since its founding.With technology acquired from Markit, Symphony will provide a secure directory for managing contacts across the financial services industry. Symphony will populate the directory with vetted contacts from firms and users validated by network participants, allowing for enhanced identity management. Further streamlining communication and improving productivity, the directory will make it simple to locate and contact professionals within the financial services industry.“We are pleased to now offer our customers the ability to connect and collaborate with a network of validated industry professionals within Symphony’s secure messaging and workflow platform,” says David Gurle, chief executive officer of Symphony. “The integration of these two highly complementary services sets us apart from other enterprise collaboration and messaging platforms by providing secure, seamless communication that connects users with their community. As Symphony expands, we plan to look for similar opportunities to continue to bring value to our clients in a range of industries.”The transaction closed on November 28, 2014. The two firms will continue to collaborate on joint initiatives.Brad Levy, managing director and head of Markit’s Processing business added, “We achieved several firsts in the financial services industry with Collaboration Services. Symphony will help realize our vision that open networks will fundamentally change how people work and communicate in our industry, by combining our respective collaboration assets.”Markit’s Collaboration Services provides a secure directory for managing verified contacts across the financial services industry. Symphony will leverage this technology to also create secure and compliant directories and communities for communication across a wide range of industries.About SymphonySymphony is an open-source, secure communication and workflow platform that aims to improve workplace productivity and connects users to their community. Leading financial institutions have invested in Symphony to develop

Integration, they regained the ability to instantly connect with their clients and were able to quickly recover market share. Interested in learning more? It's all about your clients This shift to mobile is evident across the entire financial services industry, from the Americas to Asia. Nowadays, clients everywhere want to act on ideas quickly, maybe after finishing a conversation with friends or hearing something on the news that made them re-think their strategy. So being able to easily access their brokers via their preferred channels makes it easier to act on new ideas quickly. The above are only a few examples of the ways our customers are using these solutions. If interested in a demo to see this in action, contact us. You may also like Community Symphony’s 2024 in review: solving for market challenges and achieving steady growth In 2024, Symphony celebrated 10 years of supporting financial services firms drive innovation, efficiency and security as it evolved into a communications and markets technology firm. With interconnected platforms for messaging, voice, directory and analytics, and a growing community of 1,300+ institutions and 600,000+ users around the world, Symphony has established itself as the most valued financial services community. January 28, 2025 Tech4Fin The Compliance Dilemma: Why Financial Firms Can’t Afford to Ignore Messaging Security Attempted data breaches are becoming more sophisticated by the day. Both U.S. and European agencies are currently urging businesses to adopt encrypted messaging solutions to safeguard sensitive information. These recommendations are made in light of several high-profile data incidents that have compromised private communications, particularly within government and political circles. January 28, 2025 Community November 27, 2024

March 9, 2023 Joseph Linington Community Interested in learning more? Over the past few years, I have seen a major change in the way I work – namely, I use my cell phone much more than I did before. I no longer have a desk phone but use my mobile for calls, texts and messages routinely. And I know I’m not alone. As the boundaries between our professional and personal lives further blur together, a trend amplified by COVID and hybrid office policies, phones – or really, the apps on our phones – have become as important as our desktop computers. But as mobile phones and messaging applications like WhatsApp, WeChat, SMS and LINE replace traditional channels like email as the primary tool for professional communication, financial firms struggle to meet the expectations of their customers and counterparties while fulfilling the various requirements of regulators across jurisdictions.Symphony’s compliance-enabling messaging solution is fast emerging as the go-to solution for firms keen to empower their employees. It seamlessly allows messages sent and received with devices and apps for the purpose of compliance to be captured and recorded. In short, Symphony federates with WhatsApp, WeChat, SMS and LINE so that one party can communicate via their firm approved, compliance-enabling Symphony platform – while another party receives and sends messages using their preferred tool.Often, this interest is driven by end-clients: from relationship managers whose wealthy clients prefer WhatsApp, to commodities traders who require the convenience of text messaging. This helps not only to deepen client relationships but does so in a way that helps alleviate the regulatory pressures faced by the industry.How is this used in practice? Keeping you connected when necessary By effectively fostering a wider network that captures personal text applications like WhatsApp, WeChat, SMS or LINE, this solution empowers finance professionals

To remain in contact with their clients at all times, whether they are at their desk or vacationing in the Bahamas. While this may not be necessary for everyone, many front office professionals actually require this level of connectivity to do business. Symphony’s compliance-enabling messaging solution means both they and their employers have the peace of mind of knowing that they can do so while remaining compliant. Meshing with local conditions everywhere In many emerging markets, mobile phones are by far the primary means of communication. In Africa for example, countries like Angola, Tanzania and Uganda have leapfrogged fixed-line infrastructure to deliver broadband access via mobile LTE networks. It’s thus no surprise that with a professional staff and clients composed of what can only be called “WhatsApp natives,” many African sell-side dealers at a prominent client bank were enthusiastic about the opportunity to use WhatsApp to seamlessly communicate with their clients while Symphony enabled them to remain in compliance. Augmenting the reach of value-added services Meanwhile in Latin America – where mobile also dominates the landscape – many financial firms have responded to customer expectations by adding this solution to their wealth management platforms, thus leveraging the ability to integrate with popular messaging applications to empower their financial advisors to seamlessly communicate with their clients in a compliant manner. Combining enhanced communication capabilities with value-added information delivered via mobile as part of an ongoing dialogue, these platforms help increase customers’ satisfaction while remaining on the good side of regulators. Overcoming institution-specific communication challenges One client in China – a large sell-side dealer – was losing orders to competitors as their email system imposed strict firewall rules that made it difficult for their front-office staff to communicate with clients in a timely manner, let alone transact in real-time. Using Symphony’s WeChat

Arnold Schoenberg - Prelude and Fugue in E-flat, BWV 552, St. Anne - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 11:14 Cesar Franck - Symphony in D minor - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 10:38 Peter Lieberson - Neruda Songs - Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Boston Symphony Orchestra, James Levine, conductor 09:53 Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, conductor 09:28 Bela Bartok - The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19 - Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 08:11 Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 07:38 Ernest Chausson - Symphony in B-flat, Op. 20 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, conductor 07:14 Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet: Fantasy Overture - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis, conductor 06:27 Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 in A, Op. 92 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, conductor 06:22 Gabriel Faure - Pavane, Op. 50 - Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival Chorus, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 05:31 Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, conductor 04:42 Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 The Great - Boston Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg, conductor 03:54 Piotr Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 03:52 Antonin Dvorak - Carnival Overture, Op. 92 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 03:05 Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 73, Emperor - Christoph Eschenbach, piano; Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 02:57 Maurice Ravel - Alborada del Gracioso - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink, conductor 02:43 Bedrich Smetana - Ma Vlast: VI. Blanik - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rafael Kubelik, conductor 02:34 Richard Wagner - Gotterdammerung: Siegfried's Rhine Journey - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, conductor 02:29 Emmanuel Chabrier - Espana - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 01:39 Hector Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, conductor 01:12 Gabriel Faure - Pelleas et Melisande, Op. 80 - Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano; Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 00:57 Gustav Mahler - Kindertotenlieder - Jessye Norman, soprano; Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa, conductor 00:30 Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 9 in E-flat, Op. 70 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons, conductor 00:03 Benjamin Britten - Four Sea Interludes from the opera Peter Grimes, Op. 33 - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, conductor