Making predictions about the Top Ops issues for 2015 is more challenging than you might think, given the many facets of securities operations.
We began our predictions coverage at the end of 2014 by reaching out to industry analysts and participants such as Virginie O’Shea, a senior analyst with Aite Group; Tim Lind, global head of financial regulation solutions at Thomson Reuters; and Kevin McPartland, head of research for market structure and technology at Greenwich Associates. We also reached out to key vendors Advent Software, DataArt and FSMLabs to round out our forecasts for 2015.
While we are knee deep in the first quarter of the year, it’s still relevant to think about the issues that will define 2015 such as:
- The push for a shorter, T+2 settlement cycle in the U.S.;
- The chance that conditions are right for midsize firms to shine this year;
- the SEC’s consolidated audit trail (CAT) push will hit home for many firms;
- European firms feeling the impact of TARGET2-Securities and the full requirements of the Central Securities Depositories Regulation;
- The possibility that interest rates and volatility may rise;
- More regulation may be around the corner just when the world was hoping for a breather;
- Chief risk officers will need to revamp their data infrastructures;
- S. banks will come to grips with Basel III;
- The nondeliverable forward clearing mandate will become a reality for the futures market;
- And the Legal Entity Identifier standard could really hit its stride in 2015.
A key takeaway is that Ops managers will have an embarrassment of riches in 2015 when it comes to initiatives to advance operational efficiency — possibly more than in past years.
The other takeaway is that FTF News has compiled our predictions coverage in a special report, The Top Ops Predictions for 2015, which was just released online and is free until March 27. Click here to download a PDF: http://bit.ly/1D34BXY
We are also making the report available via Amazon so that you can read it via your Kindle at: http://amzn.to/1wX70S0
In the end, prioritizing Ops issues for an online news service is a far cry from developing a cohesive strategy. That is the difficult task of Ops managers. To help you throughout the year, FTF News will do its best to provide news, in-depth coverage, opinions and insight that will help you clarify your strategies and make 2015 your most successful year.
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