Frequently Asked Questions

As a leading European market data consulting firm, TCAM serves data and information consumers, such as financial institutions and energy traders, vendors and information providers, including  exchanges and OTC brokers, as well as other participants in the flow of information, such as service facilitators and system suppliers.

Yes, we do. In addition to consultancy / project roles we provide interim management.

TCAM analyses and evaluates your current framework of policies, processes, roles, and technologies supporting market data management (“As-is”). Based on industry best practices and the organization’s available capabilities (staffing, budget, etc.), the "To-be" situation is defined. The gap analysis then provides a realistic and manageable roadmap toward maturity.

We can help firms which use and / or distribute licensed data by executing a preventive compliance assessment or by audit management & support, i.e. taking complete care of your audit. Additionally, our training helps expanding your employees’ compliance skill sets.

No, we don’t.
With respect to audits, we provide specialist services to firms using and / or distributing licensed data.
As we cannot serve both sides of the audit, we do not act as auditor on behalf of information providers. We do provide other services to them, including training.

Our experience shows that our method achieves approximately 15 to 25% of annual market data costs.
Savings are found by eliminating unused and unnecessary licenses, improving contractual agreements, smarter retrieval of static data, and eliminating non-compliance.

Non-compliance may expose the firm to significant financial and reputational risks.
Examples of mistakes are:

• Reporting an incorrect unit of count, e.g. reporting "users" instead of "access IDs".
• Using real-time data in applications without proper licensing.
• Registering and reporting "non-professional" users inaccurately.
• Assuming entitlements information does not need to be retained, and thus failing to keep records.

By assessing your situation, TCAM helps you avoiding these and other mistakes and thus ensuring compliance. 

Yes, TCAM, as FISD's training partner, supports candidates preparing for the Financial Information Associate (FIA) and Data Licensing Specialist (DLS) certificates.
TCAM offers in-person FIA and DLS courses, as well as a DLS eLearning module.

We start every engagement with a scoping conversation to understand your situation, priorities, and pain points. From there, we agree on a clear scope of work, define deliverables, and establish a timeline.
Because we work independently and without vendor ties, our advice is always driven by what's right for your organisation — not by any commercial relationship with a data provider or system supplier.

Market data complexity doesn't scale neatly with firm size. Smaller firms often face the same licensing obligations, audit risks, and compliance requirements as large institutions — but with fewer dedicated resources to manage them.
TCAM works with firms across the spectrum, from global banks to boutique trading firms and energy traders, and tailors its approach to the scale and maturity of each client.

For firms that don't have — or don't want to build — an in-house market data function, TCAM can act as your outsourced market data team. This covers everything from day-to-day vendor management and licence administration to compliance monitoring and cost control.
It's particularly well suited to mid-sized firms where dedicated market data headcount isn't justified, but the exposure and risk are very real.

Independence is fundamental to how we operate. When we work with information providers, our services are limited to areas such as training and commercial model design — we never act as an auditor on their behalf, and we never advise both sides in the same situation. This clear boundary is what allows firms to engage us with full confidence.

Timelines vary depending on the size of your data estate and the complexity of your operations, but most assessments are completed within four (4) to eight (8) weeks.
Cost optimisation projects, which involve a deeper review of contracts and entitlements, typically run over a somewhat longer period.
We're happy to give a more specific indication once we understand the scope.

The Financial Information Associate (FIA) certification provides a broad grounding in how financial markets and market data work — it's ideal for anyone newer to the industry or looking to formalise their foundational knowledge.
The Data Licensing Specialist (DLS) goes deeper into the licensing, contractual, and compliance dimensions of market data — making it the natural choice for those working in data management, procurement, or compliance roles.
TCAM offers both in-person and eLearning formats, and can advise on the best fit for your team.

Yes. With experience across a wide range of systems and vendors, TCAM can help you define your requirements, assess the available options objectively, and support the implementation process. Because we have no commercial ties to any system supplier, our recommendations are based purely on fit for purpose.