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A specialized AI assistant that supports both developers and operations professionals
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Built on Google Cloud’s AI Platform Vertex AI
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Designed with accuracy, security, and regulatory constraints in mind
Apex Fintech Solutions Inc. (“Apex”), an innovation launchpad for the global investment ecosystem, has announced the release of Ask Ascend, an AI-powered assistant designed to provide immediate, accurate answers to technical questions and, in the future, operational questions for clients who are integrating with Apex Ascend™, the next generation clearing, custody, and trading platform. By providing prompt answers, Ask Ascend can accelerate technical integrations and speed to market.
Ask Ascend was conceived to remove roadblocks during technology integrations by providing faster answers to time-critical questions.
“Apex is all in on AI,” said Yuying Chen-Wynn, technology leader supporting the Apex AI initiative. “Ask Ascend was conceived to remove roadblocks during technology integrations by providing faster answers to time-critical questions. Now our customers — especially those with global development teams — don’t have to wait for an individual expert in a different time zone to get important questions answered.”
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After evaluating the available AI platforms, Chen-Wynn and her team chose to build Ask Ascend on Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform. Vertex AI empowered Apex to develop Ask Ascend with enterprise-level reliability, security, scalability and advanced permissioning, tailored for internal and external use. Furthermore, Vertex AI provides grounding — also referred to as in-line citations — that anchors AI outputs to verifiable sources of information.
AI Features Tailored for Sophisticated Tech and Highly Regulated Industry
Ask Ascend supports integration with Apex Ascend, the cloud-native clearing, custody, and trading platform. The AI was built on Ascend’s existing client-facing documentation — including API specifications, help files, and sample code — to act as a specialized assistant that currently supports developers and, in the future, operations professionals.
Apex has fine-tuned Ask Ascend to help ensure content conformity and provide in-line citations. Ask Ascend has undergone rigorous stress testing, including an automated evaluation dataset to continuously validate its performance. Furthermore, the system evolves as updates to client-facing documentation are ingested into its data set, which helps supply consistent answers as Apex’s services expand.
Ask Ascend Key Features
- Web UI and Developer Dashboard and Apex Service Center Integration: Clients can access Ask Ascend directly within their workflows. Additional integrations currently on the horizon include the Apex Service Center (ASC) and the Apex Developer Portal, which already includes API credentials and SDKs (Software Development Kits), sample code, and more.
- Broad Query Range: Ask Ascend is capable of answering technical questions about sample code and API specifications plus more general queries, such as, “What SDKs does Ascend offer?”, “Provide me sample code for the Orders API”, and “What types of accounts does Ascend offer?”
- Security and Archiving: Ask Ascend is accessed through Okta Single Sign-On technology, and all data generated from queries and responses is stored securely within a dedicated instance of Google Cloud’s tenant. This ensures that data remains accessible only to appropriate internal associated personnel of Apex and is inaccessible to external LLMs (Large Language Models).
- Debugging Capabilities: Ask Ascend can aid developers by reviewing and troubleshooting code to streamline integrations. The tool is designed for both novice and expert developers, serving as a step-by-step guide for integrations and a robust support system for technical troubleshooting based on documentation.
- Follow the Sun: Ask Ascend helps address queries throughout the day for clients with global development and operations teams in the following regions: North America, South America, Asia, Oceania (Australia and surrounding countries), and Africa.
A Client-Centric AI-Powered Tool
“With Ask Ascend, we’ve built a scalable AI platform that enables our clients to onboard faster with security and compliance in mind,” said Bill Capuzzi, CEO of Apex Fintech Solutions. “Ask Ascend eliminates unnecessary delays that used to depend upon the availability of subject matter experts. We see a lot of opportunities to help our clients achieve their goals with greater agility, and we’ve put a plan in place to deliver more AI-powered tools.”
Available in the Apex sandbox environment, Ask Ascend can help improve the onboarding experience even before a contract is signed.
Apex Fintech Solutions is a fintech powerhouse enabling seamless access, frictionless investing, and investor education for all. Apex’s suite of scalable solutions fuel innovation and evolution for hundreds of today’s market leaders, challengers, change makers, and visionaries. The Company’s digital ecosystem creates an environment where clients with the biggest ideas are empowered to change the world. Apex works to ensure their partners succeed on the frontlines of the industry via bespoke solutions through its Apex Clearing, Apex Advisor Solutions, and Apex Silver brands.
Apex Clearing Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apex Fintech Solutions Inc., is an SEC registered broker dealer, a member of FINRA and SIPC, and is licensed in 53 states and territories. Securities products and services referenced herein are provided by Apex Clearing Corporation.
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