I think it’s fair to say that distributed ledger technology (DLT), a.k.a. the blockchain, is making real inroads into the complex universe of post-trade securities operations. I am referring to the infrastructure-building/plumbing aspects of DLT, which emerged before its role in the wild embrace of crypto- and digital asset transactions, tokenization, etc. The DLT-based systems… Read More >>
Global Uncertainty Boosts Profits for U.S. Banks
U.S. banks enjoyed a bumper crop of results during the third quarter thanks to volatile conditions in fixed income trading. While some attribute the healthy performance to the so-called Brexit bounce, others point to a wider range of factors behind the better-than-predicted numbers. Analysts had forecast a downbeat earnings season for the U.S. banking sector,… Read More >>
Can Banks Really Create a Culture of Compliance?
The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) recent decision to fine Barclays a record £72 million ($108.3 million) for the alleged poor handling of financial crime risks will likely serve to reinforce the public perception of greedy bankers. But have financial institutions made any progress in developing a more positive culture in the new regulatory era of… Read More >>
FSB’s Capital Requirements Target ‘Too Big to Fail’
The Financial Stability Board (FSB), the six-year-old international body created in response to the Great Recession, has issued requirements intended to keep “systemically important” banks solvent particularly during crisis in an effort to prevent firms that are “too big to fail” and have to be bailed out via government funds. The financial requirements for banks… Read More >>
Tighter Budgets Make Trading Ops Utility Model More Attractive
Cost-cutting and the crush of regulatory compliance are making a utility model for processing and sharing the costs of trade operations, including core post-trade systems, more likely, according to a new study from by Broadridge Financial Solutions. The utility model, which would incorporate reference data, reconciliations, trade expense management, corporate actions, and tax and regulatory… Read More >>
Firms Ready but Wary as Volcker Rule Becomes Reality
When the Volcker Rule provision of Dodd Frank finally goes into effect on Tuesday, July 21, the banks affected will have already done most of the heavy lifting, industry observers say. But banks will still face an arduous few months as they struggle to pin down the practice of a law they’ve spent so long… Read More >>
Cyber-Attacks Force Firms to Prepare for the Worst
The number of detected cyber-security incidents across the financial sector rose 8 percent from 2013 to 20414, and the total cost of those incidents has jumped by 24 percent according to a new report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC). But, over that time, total spending by Information Security (InfoSec) departments at larger financial services firms is up… Read More >>
Survey: Firms Keeping Bilateral OTC Trading
Despite the regulatory push for cleared and executed over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives, the bilateral OTC market shows no signs of disappearing, according to a survey done by InteDelta, a specialist risk management consultancy. From April to June 2014, InteDelta completed a global survey of derivatives market participants to assess the impacts of regulatory reforms upon the… Read More >>
