Risk Management with MATLAB: Q&A with Intuitive Analytics

“I estimate that we can develop 90% faster with MATLAB than we could with C/C++ or Visual Basic—which means we can get to market faster.”

Challenge

To build and market a quantitative tool for reducing expected cost and risk for municipal bond issuers

Solution

Use MathWorks tools to develop algorithms, visualize results, and simplify deployment of an advanced analytical tool

Results

  • Development productivity increased by 90%
  • Deployment simplified
  • Visual environment created

Based in New York City, Intuitive Analytics develops integrated, applied tools for analyzing and managing modern capital market risk. Intuitive Analytics works to free financial analysts and decision makers from the limitations of available software, empowering them to understand the analytic nature of the real world problems they face.

What led you to look for a new way of working?

Like many start-ups, we compete with organizations that are much bigger than we are.  Our advantage is the ability to deliver solutions quickly. We saw an opportunity to help investment banks and financial advisors learn how rate model assumptions affect expected risk, and wanted to capitalize on that opportunity as quickly as possible.

Why MATLAB?

Shortening time to market was our top priority, and it was clear that developing advanced methods, constructing interest rate models, and visualizing results in C/C++ or Microsoft® Visual Basic® would take too long.  Another priority was to accelerate adoption of our solutions by making them easy for analysts to learn and apply.  We saw MATLAB® as a way to meet both these objectives.

What results have you seen so far?

With MATLAB we built sophisticated quantitative analytical tools with intuitive interfaces that make them easy for analysts to use.  We saved deployment time and cost by creating a standalone application with MATLAB Compiler™ and MATLAB Builder™ NE. Most importantly, we can get to market fast. We can develop up to 90% faster with MATLAB than with any other language.