Wednesday, 16 September 2026 07:45 AM
Company Update
New cohort to incorporate professional DMA trading content, extending the program further from investor education into trader development
NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / September 16, 2026 / Following its announcement of further expansion into the Canadian market, Custom Smart Securities LLC is preparing to launch the third cohort of the CSS Trading Excellence Program.
Compared with previous cohorts, which were centred primarily on the U.S. market, the third cohort is expected to further strengthen collaboration between the Canadian and U.S. markets, while incorporating professional trading education related to DMA (Direct Market Access).
Graham Pettifer, the company's Chief Investment Officer, will lead the program's professional investment and trading framework, while Craig Sandison, Senior Client Manager, will be responsible for Canadian market development, participant relations, and program operations.
Building on Prior Experience: Expanding Into Canada-U.S. Collaboration
Custom Smart Securities has previously delivered investor education and trader development through online coursework, market research, company case studies, risk management, and trade reviews.
Building on the foundation of earlier cohorts, the company has decided to extend its third cohort further into the Canadian market.
The new training curriculum will focus on:
Canadian and U.S. market research, company fundamentals, trading plans, position management, risk control, trading discipline, and trade reviews.
The company has stated that this new cohort will not be built solely around short-term market opportunities. Instead, it aims to help participants build a genuinely complete understanding of a professional trading process.
DMA Becomes a Key Addition to the Third Cohort
One of the significant changes in the third cohort is the further incorporation of professional DMA (Direct Market Access) trading knowledge.
DMA is typically used in professional and institutional trading environments, allowing qualifying market participants to route orders directly to exchanges or other execution venues through the relevant trading infrastructure.
The related coursework will focus on:
Market access, order execution, trade routing, liquidity, and pre-trade risk controls.
Custom Smart Securities has stated that introducing DMA does not mean de-emphasizing company research or risk management.
On the contrary, the company wants participants to understand three distinct components of a professional investment system:
Research answers "why trade";
Risk management answers "how much to trade";
Professional execution answers "how to complete the trade."
From Investor Education to Trader Development
Another change in the third cohort is a stronger emphasis on developing professional traders.
The overall pathway will increasingly take shape as:
Market Research → Investor Education → Risk Management → DMA Professional Execution → Trade Review → Trader Development
The company has stated that, throughout the program, participants will be evaluated more on learning ability, risk awareness, trading discipline, and execution capability-rather than on short-term performance in any single stage.
Participants who meet the requirements for continued development will have the opportunity to advance into more advanced stages of professional trading education and development.
Canada Becomes a Core Part of the Program
As Graham Pettifer and Craig Sandison take on responsibilities in the Canadian market, the third cohort is also set to become one of Custom Smart Securities' key initiatives for advancing its Canadian business.
Graham will primarily be responsible for investment research, risk management, the DMA Professional Trading Framework, and curriculum design; Craig will be responsible for investor education outreach in the Canadian market, program operations, and member relations.
Through this, the company hopes to gradually establish:
Local Canadian Service + U.S. Market Resources + DMA Professional Trading Framework + Trading Excellence Program Development.
Custom Smart Securities Sees the Third Cohort as a Model to Prove, Not Just Scale
Custom Smart Securities has stated that the goal of the third CSS Trading Excellence Program cohort is not simply to expand participation, but more importantly to further validate a professional trader development model that can operate collaboratively across the Canadian and U.S. markets.
Media Contact:
Custom Smart Securities LLC
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE: Custom Smart Securities LLC