FIX Protocol Limited (FPL) has selected the vendors that will participate in its certification programme. The initial firms include Aegis Software, B2BITS, Javelin Technologies and TransactTools.
FPL has also entered into an agreement with Brook Path Partners, a consulting services firm focused on investment technology, to develop the fixed income certification test scripts.
The certification programme will focus on application layer testing for fixed income based on FIX 4.4 specifications and will also include session layer testing for FIX version 4.0 through 4.4.
Initially, the programme will have a pilot period of three to six months which will involve collecting industry feedback both on the programme and test scripts.
The initiative was initially set up to reduce the cost and effort of using the FIX protocol, promote the quality and consistency of FIX implementations and streamline the process of implementing new FIX counterparty relationships.