Regulation


KPMG calls time on the universal banking model

Geopolitical shifts and increasing protectionism among nations will mean that the universal banking model is no longer sustainable – and there is little that anyone can do, according to Bill Michael, EMA head of financial services at KPMG. “The future shape of banking is beyond the control of boards, individual regulators or countries alone,” Michael […]

Financial institutions are “missing out” on big data says TeleWare

As financial regulation on mobile phone recording grows ever tighter in Europe, a significant proportion of financial institutions still haven’t put in place any technology to handle it. They could be missing out, according to Steve Haworth, chief executive at computer telephony specialist TeleWare.

Sapient rolls out FATCA compliance service

Sapient Global Markets has released a suite of software and services designed to help companies meet FATCA, the controversial new US regulation that obliges banks to report their US customers so that they can be taxed.

US-Europe derivatives rulemaking deal “falls at first hurdle”

Senior financial industry executives have expressed disappointment at the failure of the US and European securities regulators to realise a deal over derivatives reforms and swap execution facilities, the new category of US execution venues brought in under the Dodd-Frank Act.

Viewpoint: Payroll: Proof of Prepaid Power in Numbers

A group of like-minded companies came together this summer to address the recent melee in payroll cards. The work is far from over, but their activity points to the power of pooling resources and relationships for real progress and impact.

Foreign money transmitters face state-by-state regs in the US

Some European money transmitter companies are learning what insurance carriers from outside the US. learned years ago — the country is a nightmare of financial regulations that can differ sharply from state to state. And European companies that are doing business in individual states probably need a license from that state.

“Problematic” US shutdown causes SEF blues at the EU

The European Commission has expressed concerns that the US government shutdown is preventing a deal between the EU and US regulator, just as new swaps rules come into force for firms based both inside and outside the US.

CFPB: CARD Act Saved Consumers Billions, But Some Concerns Remain (Oct. 3, 2013)

The credit card industry has largely cleaned up its act in the four years since sweeping new federal rules took effect, though some concerns remain, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau concluded this week. The CFPB’s 102-page report on the impact of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act (CARD Act) passed in 2009 found […]

CFPB, Lawmakers Continue Campus Card Examination (Oct. 1, 2013)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau yesterday hosted a Banking on Campus Forum in Washington, D.C., as part of its ongoing investigation into campus cards. Some college students said they feel pressured into using specific financial products—which can include student ID cards that double as debit or prepaid cards and are used to access scholarships and […]

LSE launches new derivatives market

The London Stock Exchange has intensified its push into the derivatives markets with the launch of a new bourse called LSE Derivatives Market, which it says will create new opportunities for traders in London and provide a better proposition under the EU’s EMIR legislation than its predecessor Turquoise Derivatives.

Swap trading reforms hit the rocks as CFTC’s O’Malia recommends delay

As CFCT commissioner Scott O’ Malia calls for more time for SEF reforms to be implemented, senior market observers are concerned that the new rules will not only fail to meet their 2 October deadline, but will also hurt ordinary market participants and increase systemic risk rather than reduce it.

CCP proliferation clouds Asian OTC derivatives markets reform

Most emerging Asian countries have developed or are developing their own CCPs and trade repositories in response to global reforms of OTC derivatives markets – but proliferation of CCPs is a concern, according to new research by analyst firm Celent.

Operational risk: Hell is other people

As the focus on operational risk increases, Nicholas Pratt discovers that the greatest threats to a bank’s security lie outside of its four walls

Warsaw installs co-lo as Italy imposes HFT tax

Poland’s Warsaw Stock Exchange has introduced co-location systems designed to appeal to high-frequency traders, as Italy clamps down on HFT with Europe’s first HFT-specific tax. The moves highlight ongoing national and international divisions over the role of HFT in capital markets.

Investment banks must provide “immediate” service improvement says TABB

As the world’s banks continue to struggle with severe regulatory change, economic turbulence and technological evolution, a new report by analyst firm Tabb Group says that financial institutions will have to provide immediate, friction-free access to content, community and execution, or face extinction.

The new FCA – don’t have nightmares

Is there anything to fear about the new FCA? Well, possibly quite a lot, it would seem. A hundred or so days into the new era of the FCA and it would be hard for anyone in the wealth management or private banking sector to have missed the message that the regulation of the sector is going to be different from now on.

Market surveillance: a watching brief

The US Securities & Exchange Commission is often accused of using skateboards to chase Ferraris in its attempts to keep up with trading houses, but less than a year after announcing that it intended to create a new market surveillance system – and six months after going live with it –  its cloud-based approach is […]

Data protection compliance: the biggest hurdle facing the back office?

In an effort to improve the protection offered to consumers, and to harmonise data practices, the EU is currently in the process of passing two pieces of legislation: the Cybercrime Directive and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Few people have given much thought to how these will align with international financial regulation.

RBS prepares for SEPA with Canada’s CGI Group

The Royal Bank of Scotland has chosen Canadian IT firm CGI Group to help its corporate clients manage the transition to SEPA, the European Union project to simplify bank transfers denominated in euros.

Survey: AML, OFAC Compliance Costs Rising for FIs Worldwide (July 2013)

By Kate Fitzgerald, Emerging Payments Editor  The cost of complying with anti-money laundering (AML) rules and requirements is rising, just as the expansion of related anti-bribery and corruption laws around the world is placing unique new demands on global financial organizations, according to a new survey. International banks are devoting more personnel, departmental resources and […]

Here algo again: MiFID II will require your attention in 2014

For firms who remember MiFID I, and those that don’t, round two is almost upon us. This month, the Council of the EU agreed their general approach, meaning that the draft of MiFID II/MiFIR is free to advance to the European Parliament. If all goes according to the current plan, the new combined legislation will be with us in time for 2015 implementation.

Pressing the reset button

Whether or not the coalition government succeeds in implementing all of its proposals remain to be seen but undoubtedly the transformation of the banking sector – across all levels – is most certainly underway …