Nasdaq OMX, the Nordic exchange operator whose OMX division was once at the forefront of financial technology in Europe, yesterday launched its first Nordic-based dark-pool trading platform as the region continues to play catch-up with transformation seen elsewhere in Europe.

The move to launch a Nordic dark pool, which allows investors to trade anonymously in order to protect their trading position, signals the growing maturity of the Nordic markets that have in recent years struggled to keep-up with the regulation-led transformation seen in Europe.