Behind the Scenes at TMX: Quality Assurance in Financial Markets
quality assurance financial markets As a Quality Assurance tester at TMX Group—parent company of the Toronto Stock Exchange and Montreal Exchange—I’m responsible for ensuring that the highly complex trading systems function without error.
Table of Contents
Beyond Traditional Stock Trading
Bringing New Financial Products to Life
Bridging Finance and Technology
A Unique Industry Ecosystem
Knowledge Environment
The Quality Assurance Process
Tools and Methodologies
Conclusion
Beyond Traditional Stock Trading
Although stock exchanges are widely recognized, my work at the Montreal Exchange focuses on a different realm of finance. Here at TMX, I support the Montreal Exchange, which deals with derivatives—such as futures, options, and swaps—not stocks.
These advanced financial tools demand equally advanced trading platforms, which is where my role becomes essential.
Bringing New Financial Products to Life
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is participating in the launch of new financial products.
While many details are confidential, what I can share is the excitement of being part of such cutting-edge development.
It feels like nurturing a new creation from concept to reality.
We're building a distinctive product—something not yet seen in the market. This includes the way it’s traded, the software infrastructure, risk parameters, and system architecture.
Everything is developed internally. In this collaborative setup, my responsibility is to ensure quality at each step.
As each module is completed, I perform rigorous testing, provide detailed feedback, suggest improvements, and meet with the team weekly to align on progress.
Bridging Finance and Technology
Coming from a finance background rather than IT, I contribute a unique viewpoint to technical problem-solving.
My formal education is in finance—not computer science. That’s why I find this intersection of technology and finance especially fascinating.
There’s no physical product—just an idea executed with precision and intelligence.
A Unique Industry Ecosystem
Canada’s financial exchange ecosystem is quite different from most.
In this industry, one company owns all major Canadian exchanges. TMX Group operates both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Montreal Exchange, making this a particularly niche environment.
Knowledge Environment
This centralized structure brings with it both constraints and opportunities.
It’s a highly specialized sector. You won’t find much about it online. But inside the company, we have access to deep institutional knowledge.
This internal resource pool is critical for solving complex problems. Whether I’m forecasting the development path for a product two years out or analyzing edge cases, there’s always someone I can reach out to who has the answers.
The Quality Assurance Process
Testing new platforms demands an approach that blends financial insight with technical strategy.
First, I need to grasp how the product functions and how users will interact with it, then design a testing strategy that reflects real-world use.
I anticipate rare or unexpected scenarios—those “what-if” situations users may never experience but the system must still handle correctly.
To do this, I rely on a combination of business knowledge, financial expertise, and technical understanding of our software.
I also communicate my test results to developers and architects, which means I must be fluent in technical language to ensure my insights are properly understood.
Tools and Methodologies
We apply both automated and manual testing in our process.
Using Python, we build custom in-house automation tools. At the same time, manual testing remains vital for evaluating diverse user interactions.
We work within an agile framework. Each morning, the team holds stand-up meetings to address key tasks and resolve issues.
Work is divided into three-week sprints, with clearly defined objectives set at the beginning of each cycle.
Conclusion
Quality assurance at TMX is a collaborative mission.
If a task’s urgency changes, a deadline is approaching without the code delivered, or I have testing concerns, I raise them immediately.
Communication is key to our success.
I often check in with teammates: “Where are you in the process?” or “When can I expect it to begin testing?”
This constant dialogue keeps our workflow efficient and coordinated.
Combining financial knowledge with technical testing abilities, I help bring innovative trading solutions to Canada’s financial markets.
My role underscores how QA professionals act as the gatekeepers of system reliability—ensuring that today’s complex financial infrastructure runs smoothly and securely for everyone involved.
— Yanchi Feng
