TSAM delegates slam OTC derivatives regulation
As Europe’s new EMIR derivatives regulation takes hold, senior buy-side representatives have warned that new rules including EMIR and Basel III might actually exacerbate risks rather than reduce them.
BankingTech
Polaris unveils $10m financial technology design centre in Chennai
Polaris Financial Technology has today opened a $10 million financial application design centre at its headquarters in Chennai, India, where customers will be able to work collaboratively with the vendor’s development teams on applications and systems.
EMCF and EuroCCP merger to target collateral efficiencies
As tough new collateral requirements bring ever greater pressure to bear on banks and financial market participants, the union of European clearing houses EMCF and EuroCCP into a new combined entity will help make clearing and settlement more efficient, according to Diana Chan, chief executive at EuroCCP.
Innovation nation: FinTech in the UK
As one of the world’s leading financial centres, geographically well-positioned between America and the Far East, London is very much a global city. It is perhaps unsurprising then that it also attracts businesses looking to provide financial services worldwide.
Interactive Data service aims to untangle transaction tax eligibilities
Market data vendor Interactive Data has responded to the introduction of Financial Transaction Taxes in France and Italy with a new service that supports the identification of instruments that are likely to be subject to them.
Polish bank ramps up mobile payment capability with HP/Accumulate technology
PKO Bank Polski has added a mobile payment service that covers all payment situations using the Mobile Everywhere platform from Stockholm-based Accumulate.
RBS offers to automate SEPA migration for corporates
The Royal Bank of Scotland has announced a new product intended to help clients migrate to mandatory SEPA standards. Called the RBS SEPA Accelerator, the product has a feature that allows a corporate implementing the SEPA XML file format to independently initiate, monitor and amend file testing, validation and end-to-end simulation. This ensures that a corporate can self-test its SEPA readiness.
Yorkshire Building Society to offer PFM through eWise tech deal
Yorkshire Building Society is to offer online personal financial management capabilities through a multi-year agreement with eWise.
Bombay exchange opts for Eurex platform in tech alliance
The Bombay Stock Exchange has become the latest exchange to sign up for Deutsche Börse’s Eurex platform, with the announcement of a long-term technology alliance under which BSE will join the Eurex technology roadmap and deploy Deutsche Börse Group’s trading architecture. As a first step, BSE will replace its derivatives market platform in the course […]
Mobile bill payments to grow rapidly and migrate to tablets
Almost 200 million mobile users will be making bill payments via their mobile by 2017, according to research. According to Juniper Research, there is a growing user acceptance of ‘push’ mobile banking and a sharp rise in tablet adoption that will drive users of transactional tablet banking services. The report also finds that, adoption of […]
DTCC set to open Japanese trade repository for OTC derivatives ahead of April deadline
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation will start operating a Japanese over-the-counter derivatives trade repository this month, flowing approval by the Financial Services Agency of Japan.
Corporate clients concerned about stability of banking partners
The good news is that 63% of corporate executives are “highly satisfied” with the service they get from their core banking partners; the bad news is less than half of them are confident that their banks are stable and operating securely within their risk parameters. This is making them increasingly interested in the stability of […]
The risks of runaway regulation
While laudable in intention, reforms to Europe’s OTC derivatives markets may be in danger of inadvertently adding so much cost for participants that the original purpose is undermined, according to Anthony Belchambers, chief executive officer at the Futures and Options Association.
Banking on digital solutions to build trust and innovation
Rising to the challenge of reconnecting with customers, rebuilding trust and renewing the banking experience, banks are starting to explore digital technologies and solutions.
Sentenial completes Benelux expansion with Netherlands office
SEPA solutions specialist Sentenial has completed its planned investment in the Benelux Region with the opening of a fully-supported operational office in Amsterdam and the relocation and expansion of its Brussels office.
The rush to Russia
Infrastructure reforms are intended to turn Moscow into an international financial centre. There is still a long way to go. Also in this issue: Interview: MPowa’s Dan Wagner – closing the m-commerce gap Mixing up the pieces: will seven-day account switching really bring more competition to the UK retail banking market? SEPA readiness: evidence is […]
Competition and fair play dominate retail banking debate
Reforms to the UK’s retail banking industry will help bring greater competition and consumer choice – but more needs to be done, according to delegates at the Westminster Business Forum on the future of retail banking in London this week.
Barclays names new operations and technology chief
Barclays has appointed Shaygan Kheradpir to the new role of chief operations and technology officer.He will join the executive committee of Barclays and report directly to group chief executive Antony Jenkins.
USAA Bank enlists talking mobile banking app
US bank USAA Bank has adopted a mobile virtual assistant called Nina, developed by Nuance Communications, which lets customers interact with their bank account in novel ways that simulate a conversation with a real human.
Risk data aggregation: the great unknowns revealed?
The Basel Committee is planning to start checking on firms’ risk data aggregation plans from early 2013 but awareness surrounding the issues remains low.
Firms face multimillion bill to address gaps in industry plans for T2S
There are “major discrepancies” in firms’ readiness for the implementation of Target2-Securities that leave “significant gaps” in the industry’s plans, according to new research carried out by Celent and Swift.
DTCC reports five-asset swap clearing as Dodd-Frank deadline approaches
As the deadline for mandatory swaps reporting approaches for more and more asset types, US post-trade services utility the DTCC has announced that swaps dealers are now submitting OTC derivatives trade information for all five major asset classes into its US swaps data repository, DDR.
LCH.Clearnet records record activity as new OTC rules take effect
Clearing house LCH. Clearnet has cleared $22 trillion notional of interest rate derivatives through its SwapClear service for buy-side clients, as market participants put in place the final preparations for the Dodd-Frank clearing deadline on 11 March.
ConvergEx rolls out multi-legged options algos
Trading technology company ConvergEx Group has released a new suite of algorithms designed to capitalise on growing interest among market participants in multi-legged options trading strategies.
Bank of America unveils new “responsible rewards” card
Bank of America has introduced a new credit card that rewards customers with up to £100 annually for responsibly managing their monthly credit card payments.
New research slams “cynical” financial transaction tax
The imposition of a financial transaction tax in Italy on Friday has prompted condemnation from senior financial market observers, who are warning that the new rules could tip Europe into a liquidity drought that will damage banks and asset managers, punish traditional market participants and encourage a slide away from equities towards other asset classes.
The problem of plenty: multiple host systems in banks
Globally, there are many banks operating on multiple host systems, the result of cherry picking the best in class systems of the day to meet different needs or occasionally, merger and acquisition. Consequently, they have ended up with a legacy of disparate host or core systems, usually segmented by lines of business, such as deposits, retail loans, corporate loans, and trade finance.
Java in the cloud for financial services
Java is the most ubiquitous programming language out there, but it doesn’t work well in the cloud. One approach to overcoming the problem is featured among the Accenture-sponsored FinTech Innovation Lab London finalists.
Cross asset trading to the fore for FPL delegates
While changes to the OTC derivatives world grab the headlines, trading is moving to a cross asset world, largely driven by regulation and standardisation – and after a few years of pain, firms may find that they are better off as a result.
Battle of the bonds begins as Clearstream targets Russian OFZs
German clearing and settlement business Clearstream has opened a new link to Russia’s CSD, the National Settlement Depository, that should allow customers based in the west to trade and settle Russian OFZ treasury bonds more easily.
Mixing up the pieces
The introduction of a seven-day account switching service in the autumn is meant to increase competition among UK High Street banks. Will it succeed?
Study reveals customer motives for switching banks
A majority of consumers would prefer portable bank account numbers to make switching between banks easier, according to a new YouGov poll conducted by BT – and the reasons may surprise advocates of Banking 2.0.
Wincor Nixdorf predicts mobile cash withdrawal explosion
While most large banks in the UK offer a mobile app, some do not yet offer mobile cash withdrawal as a feature. That is likely to change soon, according to Ian Byrne, banking director UK and Ireland at ATM maker Wincor Nixdorf.
Rawbank revamps internet banking services with Clear2Pay
Kinshasa-based Rawbank has selected Clear2Pay’s e-Banking solution to revamp its online and customer loyalty strategy. Since its launch 10 years ago, Rawbank has become the largest bank by total deposits and total assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a network of branches 30+ providing a local service to retail and corporate clients. Rawbank, […]
Ready for retail revival
Today, maximising profit is harder than ever for banks. The large retail banks have been forced to sell off branches and their investment arms are under increasing scrutiny, writes Tim FitzGerald, finance & banking sales manager, Casewise. The need to change – be it adapting to newly-imposed regulatory frameworks, to differentiating yourself from the competition and […]
RenCap and Gatelab support Moscow to London cross-margining
Russian broker Renaissance Capital has built a cross-margining tool for the Moscow FX and derivatives markets Micex Selt and Forts, and the London Stock Exchange’s international order book.
Bloomberg puts voice recording into cloud with Orange collaboration
Orange Business Services – Trading Solutions has launched a collaboration with Bloomberg Vault that will record voice data in real time, so that brokers can better comply with regulation on record keeping.
SmartStream sets out back-office utility
Financial technology company SmartStream has launched a reconciliation solution designed to provide low-cost back office services.
Early warning for trading failures
Technology companies Verdande and ITRS have developed an early warning system designed to detect trading outages and system failures before they happen.
ISO details new electronic signature standard
The International Standards Organisation has finalised details of a new ISO standard that guarantee the long-term authenticity of electronic signatures.
