Waton Financial Limited Partners with Panda AI to Launch Global AI Trading Agent Competition to Accelerate AI Adoption Across Traditional Financial Institutions

Rhea-AI Summary

Waton Financial (NASDAQ: WTF) announced a strategic partnership with Panda AI to launch the Global Competition for AI Agents in Securities Trading on November 20, 2025. The Competition will let participants deploy multiple AI trading agents on live markets rather than only simulated environments.

Waton will provide institutional-grade trading execution infrastructure and market access while Panda AI supplies AI development support and multi-model framework technology. The inaugural stage will launch in the Greater China region with planned expansion to global markets, aiming to surface tradable AI strategies and support institutional deployment.

Insights

AI-driven markets strategist

Partnership to run a live-market AI trading agent competition could build institutional-grade trading pipelines, but near-term commercial impact is uncertain.

Waton Financial and Panda AI combine brokerage execution infrastructure with multi‑model AI support to host a live-market Global Competition for AI Agents in Securities Trading announced on Nov 20, 2025. The program’s distinguishing feature is live-market deployment of multiple autonomous agents rather than purely simulated contests, which can reveal real execution, market‑impact and connectivity considerations that matter for institutional adoption.

Success depends on several operational and regulatory factors: robust risk controls, clear rules for live trading, latency and market‑access quality, and approved regulatory treatment for algorithmic contestants. These dependencies create execution risk that could delay or limit immediate monetization despite the strategic fit between trading infrastructure and AI development.

Watch for measurable milestones within the next 6–12 months: participant onboarding numbers, live‑trade failure or incident rates, formal integrations of winning agents into Waton’s platform, and any regulatory notices tied to live competitive trading. Those items will determine whether this initiative meaningfully advances Waton’s ability to commercialize AI strategies and attract institutional clients.

HONG KONG, Nov. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Waton Financial Limited (NASDAQ: WTF), a provider of securities brokerage and financial technology services (“Waton” or the “Company”), today announced a strategic partnership with Chongqing Liangyun Zhijing Information Technology Limited (“Panda AI”) to jointly organize and launch the Global Competition for AI Agents in Securities Trading (the “Competition”). This collaboration is expected to enhance Waton’s AI capabilities and AI training models to establish a global platform to attract top AI trading talent, drive innovation in automated trading strategies and position Waton as the institutional-grade infrastructure provider for the next generation of AI-driven traders.

The Competition will enable participants to develop and deploy multiple sophisticated AI trading agents simultaneously on live markets, which will be different from traditional simulation-based competitions. Waton will supply institutional-grade trading execution infrastructure and market access, while Panda AI will provide AI development support and multi-model framework technology. This complementary partnership combines AI innovation with securities expertise, creating an ecosystem whereby AI trading strategies can be validated, tested and ultimately integrated into Waton’s broader financial service offerings. The inaugural stage will launch in the Greater China region, with subsequent anticipated expansion to global markets.

“By partnering with Panda AI, we hope to accelerate our ability to identify and commercialize sophisticated AI trading strategies in the market,” said Kai Zhou, Chairman of Waton Financial Limited. “This Competition is expected to strengthen DePearl’s ecosystem and reinforce Waton’s competitive position as the infrastructure layer connecting traditional finance with AI-native trading. Beyond talent discovery, this partnership is expected to advance our vision for autonomous trading agents to become a meaningful asset class with Waton as the regulated broker enabling their institutional deployment."

The collaboration framework underscores both companies’ commitment to advancing AI-driven trading. Waton aims to deepen its AI agent capabilities while attracting sophisticated trading algorithms and developer talents. This is anticipated to open new avenues for platform monetization and institutional client engagement. The Competition is expected to serve as both a talent funnel and a proof-of-concept engine for identifying high-performing autonomous trading strategies that can strength Waton’s competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI finance market.

About Waton Financial Limited

Waton Financial Limited is a holding company registered in the British Virgin Islands, conducting business primarily through its wholly-owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong. Waton offers comprehensive financial services, including securities brokerage, asset management, and software licensing to retail and institutional investors. Driven by technology and a customer-centric philosophy, Waton is committed to delivering innovative and reliable financial solutions.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws, including, but not limited to statements regarding plans, objectives, strategies, future events, performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events, which may affect the Company's financial condition, operating results, business strategy, and capital needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words such as "believe," "plan," "expect," "intend," "should," "seek," "estimate," "will," "target," "anticipate," or similar expressions. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances or changes in its expectations. While the Company believes the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee these expectations will prove correct and cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from anticipated results, and encourages investors to review the Company’s registration statements and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for additional factors that could affect its future performance.

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Waton Financial Limited

FAQ

What did Waton (WTF) announce on November 20, 2025 about AI trading?

Waton announced a partnership with Panda AI to launch the Global Competition for AI Agents in Securities Trading, enabling live-market deployment of AI trading agents.

How will Waton support participants in the WTF AI trading competition?

Waton will provide institutional-grade trading execution infrastructure and market access for competing AI agents.

Where will the inaugural stage of the WTF/Panda AI competition launch and will it expand?

The inaugural stage will launch in the Greater China region with anticipated expansion to global markets.

What role does Panda AI play in the WTF competition?

Panda AI will provide AI development support and multi-model framework technology for participants and agent development.

How could the WTF competition affect Waton’s business model?

Waton expects the competition to act as a talent funnel and proof-of-concept engine to identify tradable AI strategies and open platform monetization and institutional engagement avenues.