Partnership connects ZISHI’s practitioner-led market education with Aralyx’s professional assessment pathway, creating a structured route for students to build verified performance and progress toward live firm capital.
London | Dublin, 16 June 2026 — For most aspiring traders, the distance between education and a professional trading career has been difficult to navigate. The knowledge exists. So does the ambition. What has been missing is a structured, credible route that connects the two.
Aralyx and ZISHI are building that route.
The two firms today announce a partnership connecting ZISHI’s applied market education with Aralyx’s professional trading pathway, giving students clear progression criteria, direct practitioner support, and real opportunities to enter the industry on merit.
The programme is open to students completing ZISHI-linked university programmes and participants in the ZISHI Summer Trading Programme. On completing their course, students are directed into Aralyx’s professional assessment pathway, where they can demonstrate their skills and progress on the basis of performance. The assessment runs six times per year, giving students multiple opportunities to enter and advance at a pace that suits them.
Students who perform strongly through the assessment are ranked on Aralyx’s verified public leaderboard. The top performers who meet Aralyx’s performance and risk standards move into the next stage of professional development, supported directly by veteran professional traders as part of ZISHI and course content as part of the Aralyx environment.
Each year, Aralyx will select up to six students from across the ZISHI university programmes for an internal development track within the firm. These students will be taken on and trained directly within Aralyx, with their assessment costs covered in full. This includes students from the ZISHI Summer Trading Programme at Sheffield Hallam University, which Aralyx is sponsoring as part of a shared commitment to creating professional trading opportunities for students who may not otherwise have access to them.
For students on general assessment, the ZISHI professional trading course is available as an addition, providing structured market education alongside the assessment experience.
The partnership brings together ZISHI’s practitioner-led expertise in applied financial markets education and Aralyx’s professional trading infrastructure, assessment framework and internal development environment. Together, they provide a pathway that is accessible by design and defined by merit at every stage.
ZISHI’s Global Head of Professional Trader Qualifications, Robert Russell:
“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not always accessible. This partnership creates a clear and credible route for aspiring traders to develop their skills, demonstrate their potential and enter a professional trading environment. By combining ZISHI’s educational expertise with Aralyx’s assessment infrastructure, we’re creating a pathway that connects learning directly to career opportunity.“
Jon Harman, Trading Mentor, ZISHI:
“Successful trading is built on discipline, decision-making and continuous improvement. Regular mentorship helps participants develop those qualities while gaining a realistic understanding of professional markets. What makes this programme particularly valuable is the combination of practical learning, individual support and a genuine route into professional trading. Participants will be challenged, supported and encouraged to grow throughout their journey.“
Shane Hughes, Co-Founder and COO, Aralyx:
“The future of this industry depends on giving talented traders access to the right environment, not just access to markets. Talent exists in universities, at home, outside traditional institutions, and in places the industry has historically overlooked. What matters is creating a pathway where traders can be assessed properly, developed properly, and backed on merit. Through this partnership, we are helping connect education with professional trading, while building a stronger pipeline of talent for Aralyx and the wider profession.”
ENDS
About Aralyx
Aralyx is a proprietary futures trading firm that deploys its own capital and backs traders to build professional careers in live markets. Built on decades of institutional trading experience, Aralyx identifies, develops, and funds trading talent through a transparent, merit-based system. Open to anyone, anywhere, who can demonstrate the discipline and skill to qualify.
Programme enquiries:
For further information, please contact: Robert Russell, Global Head of Professional Trader Qualifications, ZISHI, robert.russell@thezishi.com
Media enquiries:
For further information, please contact: Suzanne Sirett, Marketing Director, ZISHI, suzanne.sirett@thezishi.com
