Business
Acquisition of Zuma Labs Limited
Clarkson PLC has acquired 100% of Zuma Labs Limited, a technology provider for the Forward Freight Agreement and commodities markets, to enhance its FFA market technology. Zuma's flagship product, Venetian, offers a hybrid voice and electronic platform for pricing collection and distribution, powered by its AI product, Prism, which provides real-time intelligence. This acquisition aims to accelerate Venetian's market reach and support AI technology adoption across maritime and commodity markets. Zuma will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Clarkson PLC. Disclaimer*
About this update from Clarkson Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\n \nCLARKSON PLC\n(\"the Company\" or \"Clarksons\")\n \n8 January 2026\n \nClarksons Acquires Zuma Labs to Transform FFA Market Technology\n \nClarkson PLC (\"Clarksons\") is pleased to announce the acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of Zuma Labs Limited (\"Zuma\"), a leading technology provider serving stakeholders in the Forward Freight Agreement (\"FFA\") and commodities markets.\n \nZuma, founded in 2020, was created to meet the rising demand for data and the growing appetite among FFA participants to leverage technology for a more efficient approach to trading. Zuma's flagship product, Venetian, is a hybrid voice and electronic application that provides market participants with the ability to collect, record and distribute live pricing within a single interface. Venetian delivers advanced liquidity management and critical data insights for demanding markets. Venetian is powered by Prism, Zuma's AI product, which gathers real-time intelligence from multiple sources enabling users to act on data quickly. Today, Zuma is trusted by leading broking houses worldwide, who leverage its capabilities to deliver enhanced insight and efficiency to their customer base.\n \nThis acquisition will expedite Zuma's strategy to expand Venetian's market reach, be at the forefront of technology for FFA, commodity and maritime markets and support AI enabled technology adoption.\n \nChase Bennett, CEO of Zuma Labs, commented:\n \n\"Venetian was built from the ground up to meet the real-world needs of brokers and traders. It is the modern way to broker, analyse and assist in trading FFA markets. Today, we have a significant presence in the Dry FFA market but with Clarksons as a strategic partner - bringing unmatched market coverage, expertise, and a shared vision of technology as an enabler - we're well-positioned to accelerate adoption across multiple markets.\n \n\"Furthermore, the potential of Prism, our AI product, combined with Clarksons' depth of market knowledge, can create a powerful platform for progress, not just for clients, but for the markets as a whole.\"\n \nAndi Case, CEO of Clarksons, commented:\n \n\"Chase and the Zuma team showcase tools for trade with AI capabilities that unlock significant opportunities across our markets. Innovation has always been at t...