EuroCTP picks Equinix Frankfurt site for EU share tape

EuroCTP has selected Equinix's FR2 data centre in Frankfurt to host its consolidated tape, a project designed to provide a unified view of equities trading activity across all EU venues.

The firm stated that the service will publish real-time pre- and post-trade data for shares and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) sourced from more than 150 trading venues and reporting platforms. EuroCTP is currently targeting a "go-live" date in Q3 2026.

The project follows EuroCTP's appointment by the European Securities and Markets Authority, the EU's markets regulator and supervisor. EuroCTP said it will work with ESMA on the authorisation process.

Single data feed

EuroCTP said its consolidated tape will capture real-time data from trading and reporting venues across the EU and aggregate it into a single reference source. The company said users will receive a consolidated view of executed trades and a consolidated view of best buy and sell orders available at a given time.

Market participants currently consume data across multiple exchanges and reporting mechanisms. EuroCTP said a consolidated tape provides a standardised way to access information across venues.

EuroCTP said it selected Equinix to deliver a single feed of trading activity. The service will sit within Equinix's FR2 site in Frankfurt, which Equinix positions as a hub for connectivity to financial markets.

"Equinix FR2 provides EuroCTP with the ideal foundation to drive growth, ensuring we can reliably meet the evolving needs of our platform and customers. The site is already directly connected to major EU financial venues and data consumers; this established connectivity makes it an ideal location for low-latency access and seamless cost-efficient integration with the core financial ecosystem. Partnering with Equinix's world-class facility in Frankfurt contributes to the delivery of resilient, sustainable, compliant, and scalable services that meet the highest standards and the needs of the industry," said Eglantine Desautel, CEO, EuroCTP.

Infrastructure choice

Equinix said FR2 offers connectivity options for firms that need links into exchanges, market data consumers and other participants in financial services. EuroCTP said the location provides a digital foundation for the tape.

The announcement places a critical part of the proposed market data infrastructure inside a commercial colocation facility. Such sites often host trading firms, market data vendors and exchange connectivity, because they offer cross-connects and access to telecoms networks.

EuroCTP described the tape as part of a broader push to modernise European financial market infrastructure. It highlighted access speed, integration and operational considerations as factors shaping the build-out of the service.

Regulatory focus

EuroCTP said its work with Equinix includes requirements linked to Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation and the Digital Operational Resilience Act. DORA introduces obligations around operational resilience for financial entities and parts of their technology supply chain.

Equinix said it received a designation in Europe as one of 19 firms deemed "critical" suppliers under DORA. EuroCTP framed that status as relevant to how it plans to approach compliance and operational resilience for the tape.

Energy and security

EuroCTP said it sought a facility with strong energy efficiency performance and a projected Power Usage Effectiveness within a target range. It said it aligned its approach with the European Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency.

Equinix said reliability and security formed part of its pitch for financial services customers at the Frankfurt site.

"Equinix welcomes EuroCTP and this new European market infrastructure into its FR2 financial services community. The reliability, security and efficiency of digital infrastructure are crucial for financial players and their trust in our data center ecosystem is important to us. We use advanced security capabilities, techniques and procedures to safeguard our sites, and our five nines (99.999%) reliability is a benchmark of excellence. Achieving this involves significant financial, operational and time investments, and is something the company is committed to," said Eleni Coldrey, Financial Services Director for EMEA, Equinix.

EuroCTP said it is building its system to capture and publish consolidated information across EU markets. The company said it will continue the authorisation process with ESMA ahead of its target launch in Q3 2026.