Nikkei subsidiary to develop real-time translated content on SGX platform

A NEW service providing real-time machine-translated content from Nikkei.com will soon be available on the Singapore Exchange's (SGX) over-the-counter (OTC) trade registration platform, Titan OTC, in the spring of 2021.

Under a new agreement between SGX and Nikkei FT ScoutAsia, the service will use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to translate content from Nikkei.com from Japanese into English for Titan OTC users trading equity index, foreign exchange (FX), interest rate and commodity derivative products.

Nikkei FT ScoutAsia is a Nikkei-Financial Times joint venture company which operates news & company data platform, ScoutAsia.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, Nikkei FT ScoutAsia said it will initially provide English translations of news articles on Japanese companies and sectors, stocks, share price indices, foreign exchange, interest rates and dividend indices. The intention is to gradually expand the scope of content to include news on other asset classes including commodities, added the company.

Selected news from Nikkei will be integrated onto the trading platform, where headlines and excerpts from the translated news articles will be displayed on the homepage for market participants to seamlessly access the latest Nikkei news in English within Titan OTC.

Nikkei FT ScoutAsia's managing director Toshio Machida said this marks Nikkei's first full-scale attempt to provide machine-translated Nikkei content to an English-language platform.

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"Nikkei's expertise in machine translation has made it possible for us to offer swift, high-quality translation in specialised areas of finance. I hope that our new service will eliminate the language barrier and information time lag, making it easier for foreign investors and their clients to access the Japanese market," commented Mr Machida, who is also an executive officer of Nikkei.

Michael Syn, SGX's senior managing director and head of equities, lauded the new service as a "welcome feature" for Titan OTC clients that is expected to "further enhance their user experience".

"SGX and Nikkei have a long-standing relationship since we pioneered the world's first futures contract based on the Japanese stock market more than 30 years ago. Besides developing complementary derivative products, we are delighted to now partner with Nikkei in a new way, with the common goal of supporting global investors' access to the world's second-largest developed economy," he noted.

ScoutAsia has been powered by AI and data analytics technologies by Handshakes since the Singapore-based technology company came on board in 2019. Singapore Press Holdings, which publishes The Business Times, and Nikkei are both investors in Handshakes.