Eugene Grygo, Chief Content Editor, FTF News
Across the globe, the year 2016 ran the gamut from exhilarating to downright heartbreaking for many people on many, many fronts. For the executives, managers and great foot-soldiers of securities operations, it was a surprisingly eventful year that again underscored the importance of middle- and back-office people, systems and strategies.
The year was full of the over-hyped promises (and threats) of blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT), and the understated, kept promises of cloud computing, which saw much wider acceptance than anticipated and a second look by many securities firms and vendors.
Yet much happened between these poles of disruption and quiet competence, and we will be using the last week of this year to remind you of our focused coverage.
We will be opening up our coverage to give you a taste of the stories we cover. Feel free to share your constructive feedback with us over the following:
- CRIMES AND PENALTIES: For Monday, Dec. 26, we will recap the top stories about the actions of regulators and other government officials that have targeted banks and other securities firms. The penalties, fines and alleged crimes have been dramatic in number and scope in 2016. It will interesting to see if this rate of activity continues in the Age of Trump.
- LAYOFFS AND COST-CUTTING: For Tuesday, Dec. 27, we will highlight the ongoing waves of layoffs and cost-cutting efforts that will continue into 2017. We have seen many banks and securities firms large and small wrestling with constant bottom-line pressures. The push to cut costs has shrunk staffs and compelled Ops staffs to justify labor, IT and all other expenditures to those on executive row. We have sifted through the coverage and will present again our top stories.
- TOP PEOPLE MOVES: For Wednesday, Dec. 28, we will feature some of the top People Moves of the year. While we have had our share of stories about layoffs and executive exits, we have reported upon some stunning personnel changes and trends throughout 2016 that may cause some ripples for you. It’s a given that the executive shuffles will continue in 2017.
- TOP 10 STORIES, PART ONE: For Thursday, Dec. 29, we will be unveiling the first half of our Top 10 Stories, dubbed Part One. We have a matrix for quantifying the responses to our stories that is made easier by Web 2.0 technologies. It will be eye-opening to discover the stories that you have responded to most.
- TOP 10 STORIES, PART TWO: For Friday, Dec. 30, we will reveal the top five stories in securities operations that have caught the most attention among you. The list is not as predictable as you may think. The stories also represent issues that we are likely to revisit during 2017, and definitely point to subjects that will become more complex as the new year advances.
- TOP FTF NEWS ONLINE VIDEOS: For Monday, January 2, we will present our Top Videos from 2016, based on the reactions of our readers and other visitors to our website. At FTF News, we have been very lucky to speak to the top Ops people in the industry participating in FTF’s conferences. We have also been creating videos of our interviews and sharing them online. We hope you get a chance to sample some of our best efforts.
- OPS INDUSTRY PREDICTIONS: For Tuesday, January 3, we will feature a roundup of intrepid industry predictions for 2017. But, as 2016 has shown, conventional wisdom has been replaced by disruptions, unpredictability and downright chaos.
Regardless of what has happened in 2016 and what may come, we want to be there guiding you for what is likely to be an exciting but challenging ride.
FTF will be closed during the last week of the year and will reopen Tuesday, January 3.
In the meantime, we wish you the happiest of holidays, lots of rest, relaxation and joy, and a Happy New Year.
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