Energy and commodity firms are entering a period where stronger digital foundations have become a necessity rather than a long-term ambition. Markets are shifting faster than they used to, and supply chains in the modern world feel the strain in ways that expose the limits of older spreadsheet-led processes. It means that many companies are revisiting their trading and risk platforms to find something that can support both the financial and physical sides of their business with clarity and speed.
As a result, the market has moved on, and the ETRM world now looks different from the one most companies adopted. Buyers want more than a system that can record trades. They expect a platform that pulls their trading activity into a single view so each team works from the same picture. The companies doing this well are starting to show clear advantages in decision making and in the way they manage exposure across each point of the trade lifecycle.
We look at the capabilities worth prioritising in 2026 and the ETRM platforms that stand out for different types of organisations.
What modern ETRM platforms need to deliver
Most trading and operational challenges stem from fragmentation. A deal might sit in one system while the related hedge lives somewhere else, and key operational updates can end up tucked away in a spreadsheet no one else sees.
A modern ETRM platform should help reduce fragmentation by supporting the full lifecycle of a trade, from price discovery and contract handling through to position management, risk reporting and final settlement. The whole process should move through a single environment so your teams can see what’s happening in real time.
Companies trading physical products also need visibility that links what they hold to how it moves through the supply chain. Any platform that claims to support the sector should be able to track these movements at a practical level. This becomes especially important for businesses dealing with varied product grades and long supply chains that involve several storage points along the way.
Many organisations are looking for platforms that let them grow without a heavy overhaul and bring new technology into their stack without friction. When the underlying architecture is open and modular, it tends to slot into a broader ecosystem with far less effort, which cuts down the time spent linking it to ERPs, risk engines, accounting systems or analytics tools.
The market has also shifted towards stronger analytics that give firms clearer insight into their positions and how those values change as prices move. A modern platform should be able to provide this information without delay.
The best ETRM platforms to consider in 2026
The market is crowded, but a handful of platforms keep coming up in conversations with people who work close to the action. Each one has a distinct shape, and the right fit depends on the way your organisation turns trades into real-world movement. What follows is a view of the systems that continue to draw interest for different reasons.
Quoreka
Quoreka gives trading and operations teams a shared environment that mirrors the real movement of commodities. We link commercial activity with site activity in a way that helps users understand exposure while keeping sight of what’s happening in yards, storage sites and transport legs. Quoreka's ETRM solution runs in the cloud and can be rolled out in stages, which helps companies that want steady progress without pausing day-to-day work.
Allegro Horizon
Allegro Horizon is widely used in power and gas, along with newer renewable markets. Some trading desks choose it because it captures the detail of regional market rules and supports the kind of scheduling work that shapes daily activity in these sectors. The system suits companies that participate directly in organised markets and need accurate reporting throughout the day.
Ion Openlink
Ion’s Openlink product often appears in companies that run large books with a mix of financial structures. It suits environments where deals contain layers of moving parts and where modelling sits at the centre of the workflow. Users tend to choose it when they need a system that can match the pace and scale of a heavy financial operation.
Pioneer Solutions
Pioneer, now part of Hitachi, is still a common choice in environmental markets and in parts of the power sector where regional rules shape how firms participate. It appeals to organisations that need a steady hand when dealing with shifting obligations and specific reporting requirements.
How to approach your selection
Choosing an ETRM platform rarely feels simple, mostly because every organisation works in its own way. A company moving bulk material through ports will have a different daily rhythm from a desk that focuses on financial exposure or long-term supply contracts. The right system should feel as if it understands that pattern rather than forcing you to shape your workflow around it.
A good starting point is to look at how well a platform connects the commercial view with what happens in the physical world. Some systems focus heavily on valuation work but reveal little about what is actually moving through storage or in transit. Others lean toward operational oversight but fall short when you need a forward-looking view of exposure. Either imbalance can create blind spots that become costly over time.
It also helps to look at how comfortably a platform fits alongside the tools you already rely on. When the architecture is open, teams can bring in market data, accounting systems or forecasting engines without feeling locked in. That freedom often shapes how far a platform can go within an organisation.
The final point is speed of software adoption. Markets shift too quickly for long, drawn-out implementations. A staged rollout that delivers genuine progress early on tends to build confidence and keeps projects from losing momentum.
Making the right choice
ETRM systems used to be judged by how neatly they captured trades, but expectations have shifted. Companies want a clearer picture of what is happening across their commercial activity and their physical movement, all in one place, and the platforms that provide that view are pulling ahead. The clarity they offer lets your teams react with more confidence when markets move or supply chains tighten.
Choosing Quoreka
Quoreka sits comfortably in that space because it brings trading activity and operational detail into a single environment that mirrors how real businesses work. We give you room to grow without forcing a disruptive rebuild, which is appealing if you need progress without slowing the rest of the operation.
We've helped our clients streamline their fuel trading and risk operation with our cloud driven ETRM solution.
If you’re considering a new system, the best approach is to explore how each platform reflects your own workflow and to see where the practical gains appear. A short conversation with vendors, along with a look at how their tools behave in real scenarios, usually reveals more than any feature list.
December 1, 2025
