Building The First Muni Bond Auction Marketplace: Connecting Issuers & Investors

  • 01
    Project Overview
  • 02
    The Challenge
  • 03
    Our Approach
  • 04
    Results & Outcomes
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01.

Project Overview

Akava partnered with Munivestor to develop a groundbreaking marketplace platform that revolutionizes the municipal bond auction process. Our team collaborated closely with Munivestor to create an intuitive and transparent environment where bond issuers and investors can seamlessly connect, manage auctions, and grow their investment interests. From ideation to MVP launch, we delivered a comprehensive solution encompassing user research, design, architecture, and development.

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02.

The Challenge

Complex User Roles & Interactions
Designing a platform that caters to the distinct needs of bond issuers and investors posed a significant challenge. We needed to create intuitive workflows and interfaces that streamlined the user experience for each persona while facilitating seamless interactions between them.

Transparent & Trustworthy Auction Process
Ensuring transparency and trust in the bond auction process was paramount. We had to implement robust verification mechanisms for both issuers and investors, provide comprehensive auction information, and maintain a secure and auditable transaction history.

Real-time Market Data Integration
Integrating real-time market data from various sources was crucial for informed decision-making. We needed to aggregate and present relevant data from Bloomberg, Reuters, and other financial news outlets in a user-friendly manner.

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03.

Our Approach

To alleviate these challenges, we devised a comprehensive approach:

User-Centric Design

01

We conducted extensive user research to gain deep insights into the needs and pain points of bond issuers and investors. This informed our design decisions, resulting in intuitive user flows, clear information architecture, and personalized dashboards tailored to each persona.

Robust Verification & Security

02

We implemented multi-factor authentication and integrated with trusted identity verification services to ensure the authenticity of issuers and investors. Secure document handling, encryption, and access controls were employed to protect sensitive information throughout the auction process.

Seamless Auction Management

03

Bond issuers experienced a significant reduction in the time and effort required to create and manage auctions. The platform’s automation and templating features streamlined the process, allowing issuers to focus on strategic decisions rather than administrative tasks.

Real-time Market Data Integration

04

We leveraged APIs and data feeds from leading financial sources to provide real-time market data, including treasury rates, MMD rates, and relevant news. This information was seamlessly integrated into the user interface, enabling issuers and investors to make informed decisions based on current market conditions.

Tools & Tech Selection

The project utilized a range of technologies to achieve its goals, including:

React.js

Interactive UI and seamless state management

Node.js

Efficient server-side JavaScript execution

MongoDB

Flexible data storage and caching

JSON Web Tokens

Secure and stateless user authentication mechanism

GCP

Scalable and reliable cloud services for deployment

Socket.IO

Enables real-time updates for auction participation

D3.js

Powerful libraries for interactive data visualization

Jest

Comprehensive testing frameworks for quality assurance

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04.

Results & Outcomes

The collaboration delivered significant value & insights:

Successful MVP Launch

Akava successfully delivered a feature-rich MVP of the Munivestor platform, which was launched to a select group of issuers and investors. The platform received high praise for its intuitive interface, transparent auction process, and valuable market insights.

Increased Investor Engagement

The Munivestor platform fostered a vibrant community of investors, leading to increased participation in bond auctions. The networking features and personalized recommendations helped investors discover relevant opportunities and connect with issuers aligned with their investment interests.

Streamlined Auction Management

Through the strategic implementation of Azure MySQL, we successfully enhanced the operational efficiency of TDG’s database processes. This technological integration has not only expedited data retrieval but has also contributed significantly to an overall performance uplift across their suite of applications.

Enhanced Market Transparency

By providing real-time market data, news feeds, and detailed auction information, Munivestor set a new standard for transparency in the bond auction market. Issuers and investors alike benefited from access to comprehensive and timely data, enabling them to make well-informed investment decisions.

Akava has been an incredible partner in bringing our vision of a transparent municipal bond auction marketplace to life. Their technical expertise, strategic insights, and dedication to understanding our users’ needs have been instrumental in creating our platform.

Damon B.

CEO & Founder, Munivestor