Octaura CEO Brian Bejile Discusses Platform's Transformation of Syndicated Loan and CLO Markets

Brian Bejile, Chief Executive Officer of Octaura, brings two decades of senior trading experience to his role leading the electronic trading platform designed for syndicated loans and Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs). His background at Citi, where he served as Managing Director and Global Head of CLO Issuer Management, provided firsthand exposure to the manual and inefficient processes that characterized these markets. This experience demonstrated how technology could fundamentally transform markets that desperately needed modernization.

Bejile's time as a trader directly influenced Octaura's development, as he observed the significant time wasted on repetitive manual tasks such as spreadsheets, lengthy phone calls, and email communications to gather bid information. He began working on automation alternatives to streamline these processes, eventually collaborating with founding investors including Bank of America, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, and Moody's Analytics. This consortium evolved into "Project Octopus," which ultimately became Octaura when the platform officially launched in 2022.

Octaura represents the first electronic trading platform designed for both syndicated loans and CLOs, two interconnected markets that have historically lacked automation and transparency. The platform launched its first trading protocols, real-time data, and analytics for syndicated loans in 2023, with the new CLO platform building on this foundation by introducing real-time execution, full bid transparency, and enhanced analytics. With support from trusted data providers strengthening the platform's data engines, Octaura has already onboarded 27 dealers and 160 buy-side firms, helping unlock access to greater liquidity and market growth.

The platform's impact is already measurable, with Octaura achieving nearly 6% market share of all leveraged loans traded in the secondary market within a short timeframe. The recently launched CLO platform has attracted 50 buy-side firms and a dozen dealers, with beta phase feedback indicating significant efficiency improvements. Clients report BWIC execution times dropping from 90 minutes to under 30 minutes in some cases, while real-time bid features are transforming historically clunky processes.

Industry leaders have recognized the platform's transformative potential. Tom Majewski, Founder and Managing Partner at Eagle Point Credit Management, described it as "amazing to see the CLO secondary market come out of the Stone Age." Jake Caldwell, Head of US CLO Trading at Goldman Sachs, noted that the platform is already "significantly enhancing market efficiency and streamlining operations." David Trepanier, Managing Director, Head of Global Credit Structured Products of Bank of America, called the launching of electronic CLO trading on Octaura "a watershed moment for the market" that addresses inefficiencies plaguing both buy-side and sell-side players for years.

Octaura's approach to driving digital adoption in traditionally slow-to-change financial markets focuses on enhancing rather than replacing legacy workflows. By digitizing familiar processes like BWIC lists while adding transparency, speed, and analytics, the platform demonstrates immediate value without requiring participants to fundamentally change their trading methods. This client-led initiation approach has fostered trust and ensured the platform prioritizes solving real pain points faced daily by market participants.

The secondary loan market represents significant untapped potential, currently trading at $200 billion annually despite a total market size of $1.2 trillion. Octaura provides the infrastructure needed to match the scale of this market, positioning the company at the forefront of shaping a trillion-dollar market at an inflection point. The platform's multi-million-dollar funding round supports continued focus on improving efficiency while laying groundwork for long-term market growth and transformation.

For entrepreneurs looking to launch fintech solutions in today's market, Bejile advises against chasing perfection initially, emphasizing instead the importance of testing, addressing feedback, and continuous innovation. He notes that while behavior change cannot happen overnight, lasting change in complex markets can be achieved through learning and evolving products with each development cycle.