Indian SMEs in crosshairs at Western Union and IndusInd Bank
India’s IndusInd Bank and Western Union have created a partnership designed to make foreign exchange and global business easier for SMEs in India.
WealthTech
Joining the dots: Thomas Zeeb, chief executive, Six Securities Services
The post-trade infrastructures behind the world’s securities markets face as much, if not more, regulatory driven change as the trading firms in the face of legislation such as the European Union’s European Market Infrastructure Regulation. While some of the effects will be negative, the regulators are showing a constructive approach and recognising that the infrastructure providers came out of the crisis well, says Thomas Zeeb, chief executive of Six Securities Services.
Brazil financial services reforms bring foreign investor promise
As Brazil gears up to host the World Cup next year and the Olympics in 2016, a clutch of government reforms hold high promise for the country’s financial infrastructure, according to Aldo Mendes, deputy governor, monetary policy at Brazil’s Central Bank.
The gathering storm
Recent months have seen rising tensions over the seemingly insurmountable demands for collateral prompted by tough new financial regulation. With US Treasury estimates ranging as high as to $11.2 trillion in stressed market conditions, some observers are deeply concerned that the industry could be in danger of sliding into a black hole
Taking ethical banking global
In early 2009, soon after the global subprime fallout, the official Vatican newsletter published a rather contextual referral for Islamic banking, observing that the ‘ethical principles on which Islamic finance is based may bring banks closer to their clients and to the true spirit which should mark every financial service‘, writes Riaz Akhtar, senior consultant, […]
LSE hires SunGard man as MillenniumIT chief exec
Millennium Information Technologies, the IT subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange has appointed John Mackay “Mack” Gill, as its new chief executive office, taking over from company founder Tony Weeresinghe, who will become non-executive chairman with a global business development role.
Saxo Bank launches TV service for social investment community
Saxo Bank, the multi-asset online trading and investment specialist, has launched Saxo TV, fronted by former Bloomberg TV News anchor Owen Thomas, to provide on-demand business and financial analysis.
Turkland Bank adopts Infosys core banking tools
Turkish bank Turkland has installed new core banking, CRM and treasury systems from Infosys – the first time a Turkish bank has implemented an externally developed core banking system according to the firm.
Funds under fire
The funds industry is going through a time of great change, with a combination of regulation, cost pressure, consolidation and globalisation forcing many participants to take a close look at their business and operating models and consider what their future role in the ecosystem should be. For some, this means outsourcing activities, creating opportunities for […]
MTS plans move on US fixed income markets
MTS, the European electronic fixed income marketplace majority owned by the London Stock Exchange, plans to open a platform for US institutional investors, allowing them direct access for the first time.
Integrating the LEI to enhance data and risk management
With the newly formed LEI Foundation moving forward with establishing processes for issuing and managing the Legal Entity Identifier through its Regulatory Oversight Committee and the registration of seven pre-Local Operating Units, it is worth taking a step back to understand exactly why the industry is pushing forward with the LEI and what it could achieve.
BM&F Bovespa links up to BT Radianz Cloud
Brazilian exchange BM&F Bovespa has joined the BT Radianz Cloud, a financial community that connects 500 member locations in Latin America with BT’s global network.
Collateral efficiencies could cost $53bn – and weaken risk control
The cost to fully upgrade the financial industry’s infrastructure to make efficient use of collateral will reach $53 billion, according to new research by Celent – but too much standardisation could do more harm than good, warns SIX Securities Services.
German banks set standard framework for clearing OTC derivatives
A legal framework for the standardised clearing of OTC derivatives has been established in Germany with the approval of standardised documentation by the German Banking Industry Committee, the Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft. The DK has published the framework agreement, called the CRV – Clearing-Rahmenvereinbarung – for use by German banks and their buy-side customers with immediate effect. The document […]
Otkritie to roll out Calypso in London and Moscow
Russian broker Otkritie has gone live with the first phase of a new project to bolster its London and Moscow front and back office operations, including collateral management, replacing in-house systems with Calypso platforms.
HFT is here to stay says GreySpark report
Despite its negative public perception, high-frequency trading can act as a force for good in capital markets by adding efficiencies that help investors get a better deal – but only if it is properly regulated, according to new research by technology consultancy GreySpark Partners.
Lack of market surveillance systems “significant problem” says IOSCO report
The absence of market surveillance tools in many jurisdictions and regions is “potentially one of the more significant problems facing the markets in light of technological developments, such as the rapid speed of trade execution and increase in order volume”, says the International Organization Of Securities Commissions in its final report on surveillance.
BNP looks to standard Swift messages for improved collateral protection
BNP Paribas Securities Services and Swift are collaborating to enhance the bank’s collateral protection solutions for corporate, buy-side and sell-side clients. The bank has set up “Margin Project”, planning to integrate Swift’s standardised tri-party collateral messages to ensure full compliance with the upcoming regulatory requirements on OTC transaction, mitigation of counterparty risk, asset safety and […]
Turkey tops table at TradeTech
Prospects for Turkey’s capital markets gave delegates cause for optimism as the TradeTech conference and exhibition in London wound to a close on Thursday. “Turkey is moving from an emerging to a developed market,” said Alexis Chryssochoides, head of prop trading and product development at Eurobank Equities. “The country has already been upgraded by several […]
SIX chief exec calls for industry to educate public about HFT
Market operators have a duty to educate the public about stock markets – and to take widespread concerns about the role of high-frequency traders seriously, according to Christian Katz, chief executive at SIX Swiss Exchange.
Electronic bonds: fixed income trading platforms proliferate
In contrast to the highly automated world of equities, bond trading is an area of the markets that is still heavily reliant on the telephone as a a trading tool, with person-to-person calls making up the bulk of activity on bond desks.
TradeTech panellists see politics riding roughshod over regulation
Discontent with regulation cast a cloud over delegates on the first day of the TradeTech conference in London, as senior industry executives pondered on the politicisation of the debate and the perceived failure of regulators to deliver efficient markets.
New exchanges set out their stalls at TradeTech
The next generation of trading venues went head-to-head on the first day at TradeTech in London– each keen to present its model of how best to match buyers with sellers.
UK regulators concerned that EU legislators will close off “legitimate” trading activities
Regulators in the UK are concerned that some European governments will force through regulations that will close off legitimate market practices such as algorithmic trading because they do not fully understand the markets, said a panellist at the TradeTech event in London. Tim Rowe, head of the trading platforms and settlement team at the UK’s […]
Angry TradeTech delegates clash over HFT
A session at Trade Tech in London fell into chaos earlier today, as furious delegates hurled accusations across the table and members of the audience sparred aggressively with panellists.
Fidessa plans ASEAN trading network
Trading technology company Fidessa has partnered with Asian brokers CIMB, DBS Vickers, Maybank Kim Eng, OCBC Securities, Philip Securities and UOB Kay Hian as part of a plan to create a one-stop trading service for all ASEAN markets.
HFT: The Movie – Eurex sets out the case for the defence
Germany’s Eurex derivatives exchange has posted a series of videos, in which it explores the role of HFT in providing liquidity to its order book.
Swift Innotribe Challenge London names semi-finalists
Swift’s Innotribe project has announced the fifteen semi-finalists for its startup challenge, which aims to help innovative new companies in financial services to get started.
Riding the OTC rollercoaster
As new rules for OTC derivatives take hold in Europe and in the US, banks and asset managers face a complex cocktail of mandatory clearing, reporting and increased collateral requirements.
Chi-X Australia appoints Fildes CEO
Australian alternative trading system Chi-X Australia has appointed John Fildes as its new chief executive, taking over from Peter Fowler on 1 May.
Nasdaq OMX acqusition targets US bond market
Nasdaq OMX Group is to acquire bond platform eSpeed from BCG for $750 million in a move that highlights the increasing tendency for large stock exchanges to diversify as capital markets revenues from equity trading continue to decrease.
CME Group partners with MarkitServ for OTC FX clearing
US derivatives giant CME Group and OTC trade processing service MarkitServ have connected to support clearing for OTC FX transactions, ahead of new regulations in the US and Europe on the central clearing of OTC contracts.
FSA Libor rules to take effect from 1 April
New rules and regulations for financial benchmarks following the Libor scandal will come into effect next Monday, says the Financial Services Authority, and will follow the recommendations of the Wheatley Review.
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.
Mobile apps will boost wealth management sector
An analysis of mobile solutions for financial advisors concludes that applications to support client interaction and advisory services “will become one of the most industry-disruptive, but potentially most rewarding” developments in the wealth management sector. This is the main finding of Mobile Apps for Financial Advisors and Wealth Managers by Swiss research company MyPrivateBanking Research. […]
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
