Teams will use an API to build algorithms and execute market trades on FTX and CoinbasePro
London-based FinTech company APEX:E3 announced yesterday that it will host an algorithmic trading competition for mathematics and computer science students from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
APEX:E3 is a leading multi-asset analytics provider for retail and institutional investors. The firm recently launched an API that exposes financial market data and analytics to sophisticated investors, funds, and institutions. Its large-scale data architecture ingests, aggregates, and analyzes order book data in real time from more than 20 digital asset exchanges, including Binance, FTX and CoinbasePro.
Fifteen Oxbridge teams were introduced to the contest on November 16; the competition will conclude in December. During the event, students will design algorithms and execute market trades on FTX and CoinbasePro using the APEX:E3 API. An industry panel of judges will evaluate entries on trading strategy, technical algorithm design and investment performance.
Dr. Quentin Stafford-Fraser from the University of Cambridge’s Computer Laboratory said: “Algorithmic trading applies many areas of cutting-edge computer science in today’s world. By framing it as a competition, APEX:E3 has created a fun, low-risk way for students to learn about the industry and apply their creativity and expertise to the specific challenges of this domain. We look forward to seeing what the teams propose and wish them the best.”
There are strong incentives for participants: the winning team will retain their initial capital plus any profits generated, which has already sparked a range of algorithm ideas. Proposed approaches include whale order trading, arbitrage, machine learning and neurolinguistic programming, neural networks for predicting market movements from historical data, time series modeling for future price trend forecasts using ARMA, deep learning models and high-frequency momentum trading in volatile assets to capitalize on sequence prediction of trends.
Each participant will receive technical support, trading mentorship and seed capital. The competition is made possible through APEX:E3’s partnerships with FTX, Coinbase, ConsenSys Mesh, LMAX Digital and SIX Digital Exchange.
APEX:E3 CEO Usman Khan said: “We are excited to provide real-world learning opportunities, extracurricular activity and financial market analytics to interested students. The response from Oxford and Cambridge students to this competition has been very encouraging, and we look forward to expanding both reach and participating universities next year.”