The alternative trading system known as Blockbook is shutting its doors.

A notice from the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada indicates that Perimeter Markets Inc., the operator of Blockbook ATS and Omega ATS, has announced that effective the end of the trading day on February 19, the Blockbook ATS will cease operations as a marketplace.

The Omega ATS trading platform is not be affected by this change, it notes.

Earlier this week Permimer said, “Unfortunately, BlockBook was unable to achieve critical mass of order and trading activity to justify ongoing operations.”

IIROC says that, as part of its best execution obligation under the trading rules, it expects that a firms will obtain clear instructions from clients on how orders entered on Blockbook ATS are to be handled upon the winding up of Blockbook ATS’s operations.

IE