Alpha Group Launches the IntraSpread(TM)

TORONTO, June 16, 2011 -

A Dark Pool for the Retail
Investor

Alpha Group today announced that its Dark Pool, the Alpha
IntraSpread(TM) will be available for trading as of June 20,
2011.

This facility, which is available for all securities traded on
Alpha, will allow all Alpha Subscribers to match immediately
tradable orders with dark orders resting on Alpha. Alpha
IntraSpread(TM) trades are published in real time.

Upon a trade, the immediately tradable orders will benefit from
a guaranteed price improvement. Moreover, active fees for these
orders will be minimal ($0.0004 per share for securities with a
value greater or equal to $1 and $0.0001 per share for securities
with a value below $1) while trade size for these orders will be
maximized by the size favoring component of the IntraSpread(TM)
matching algorithm as such minimizing back-office processing costs
for the broker. Only retail order flow is eligible to access the
Alpha IntraSpread(TM) facility with immediately tradable
orders.

Dark orders can be posted by all Subscribers for any type of
flow. These orders are fully hidden and pegged to the National Best
Bid or the National Best Offer with a price improvement of either
10% (capped to one price tick) or 50% (mid-point). No rebates are
available for these orders and no fees need to be paid. The benefit
for liquidity providers using these dark orders is the ability to
access un-intermediated retail flow, thus allowing them to reduce
their adverse selection costs. Buy-side traders using these dark
orders are being provided with access to a new liquidity pool, in
addition to the upstairs market and the lit markets.

“Using the Alpha IntraSpread(TM) is a winning strategy for
retail investors and retail brokers with immediately tradable
orders” noted Jos Schmitt, CEO of Alpha Group. “Buy-side firms and
liquidity providers are also provided with a winning strategy by
allowing them to interact only with clean retail flow. This is what
enables them to propose prices for execution that are better than
the National Best Bid and Offer as available across all lit
Canadian marketplaces. The Alpha IntraSpread(TM) is another example
of the innovative thinking Alpha stands for and of our commitment
to continuously improving the quality of execution in Canada.”

About Alpha Group - Alpha Group comprises the leading
Alternative Trading System for Canadian Securities - Alpha ATS, and
a data distribution plant for Alpha ATS market data. Alpha Group
was established in May, 2007 by nine of Canada’s leading financial
institutions with the aim of increasing the country’s securities
trading efficiencies and making the Canadian marketplace more
globally competitive. Established for the Industry, by the
Industry, the Alpha Group focuses on increasing liquidity, reducing
the cost of trading and providing innovative services leveraging
its unique expertise, operating model and technological
capabilities.

For further information regarding Alpha Group, visit
www.alpha-group.ca.

For further information: Jennifer Bennett,
+1-(647)-2590421, jennifer.bennett(at)alpha-group.ca

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