Apex Fintech Solutions Inc. has announced a multi-year partnership with Google Cloud aimed at enhancing the Apex Ascend platform, a cloud-native infrastructure designed for trading, clearing, and custody services. This collaboration is set to replace outdated systems in the capital markets with scalable, modern solutions utilizing Google Cloud’s integrated AI stack and secure infrastructure.
The Ascend platform, which launched in 2024, is built on Google Cloud and offers real-time ledger functionality, integrated accounts, funding, and self-service analytics. The system also features automation capabilities for corporate actions, rebalancing, order processing, and trade execution, specifically tailored for fintech clients, asset managers, and institutions.
Bill Capuzzi, CEO of Apex Fintech Solutions, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "We have reduced long waiting times affecting financial services data processing. We are excited to partner with Google Cloud as we are creating a powerful synergy that not only drives innovation but also sets new standards for the industry. This collaboration allows customers to access real-time insights for quick and informed decision-making."
Echoing Capuzzi’s sentiments, Zac Maufe, Head of Global Managed Industries at Google Cloud, noted, "Apex approached us with a desire to enhance financial infrastructure capabilities for their clients, focusing on scalability, efficiency, data sensitivity, and innovation. With Apex Ascend built on Google Cloud, Apex provides customers with the insights and tools they need to stay ahead in today’s dynamic markets—all with security at its core."
To support the Ascend platform, Apex is leveraging several Google Cloud services. AlloyDB, a fully managed enterprise PostgreSQL-compatible database, enables Ascend to handle high-volume transactions and large-scale operations without the burden of traditional licensing costs. This database supports Apex's real-time ledger in tasks such as transaction management and risk assessment.
BigQuery, another key service, provides near-real-time access to vast amounts of sensitive data. It enables privacy-focused reporting through row-level and column-level security and data tagging, giving customers direct access to structured datasets for operational and strategic decision-making.
For business intelligence, Apex has integrated Looker and Looker Studio into its Apex Insights service. These tools empower customers to create on-demand analytics for risk analysis and performance reporting, consolidating information across their operations.
Additionally, Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s AI development platform, powers Ask Ascend, an AI assistant designed to answer technical questions related to APIs, SDKs, and software documentation. Ask Ascend is available across multiple regions, including North America, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South America.
Apex’s developer-first approach has significantly shortened onboarding times for some clients to just six weeks. Adoption has surged across brokerage and asset management firms, both in the U.S. and internationally, thanks to integrated analytics and transaction lifecycle support.
Apex Fintech Solutions delivers financial technology infrastructure through brands such as Apex Clearing, Apex Advisor Solutions, and Apex Silver, serving a diverse clientele that includes market-leading firms and emerging fintech companies. Apex Clearing Corporation, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC, plays a crucial role in this ecosystem.
Ascend is positioned to foster faster innovation by allowing financial service providers to launch and scale with fewer infrastructure constraints. The partnership with Google Cloud enables Apex to offer a comprehensive investment infrastructure, including real-time data processing, secure analytics, and integrated AI capabilities.
In another significant development, Google is ramping up its use of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly the Gemini language model, to combat misinformation and fraudulent activities online. This initiative is particularly focused on enhancing the reliability of business information on Google Maps, where billions of searches for local businesses occur daily.
Google has long combined AI's power with a team of expert analysts to monitor and eliminate inappropriate or fraudulent content. The Gemini AI model is effectively deployed to detect suspicious edits on Business Profiles, with the ability to recognize unusual changes, such as a café unexpectedly changing its business category to 'plumbing.'
According to Google, Gemini requires only a few examples to learn and can be applied across various business types and languages, helping to block thousands of suspicious edits this year alone. Moreover, AI is instrumental in the fight against 'virtual 5-star reviews,' which are fraudulent attempts to purchase positive reviews from individuals who have never experienced the service.
In 2024, Google implemented a user warning feature in the U.S., U.K., and India (with plans to expand globally) when detecting locations with signs of fraudulent reviews. This relentless effort has yielded impressive results. Google reported that in 2024, they blocked or removed over 240 million policy-violating reviews, over 70 million edits to fraudulent location information, and more than 12 million fake business profiles. Additionally, they limited the activities of over 900,000 accounts that repeatedly violated policies.
Google asserts its commitment to continue investing heavily in AI and other technologies to ensure Google Maps remains a valuable and reliable source of information for users seeking to connect with businesses.
