(The word “disruption” has been noted by pundits as one of the most over-used in 2016. However, the term still accurately describes the changes underway in securities operations — and across financial services — that shook multiple groups, disciplines and conventional wisdom. To appease linguists and help operations staffs, FTF News in this final installment… Read More >>
Revisit 2016 via the Top Stories of 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… Read More >>
Deutsche Bundesbank & Deutsche Börse Launch Blockchain Initiative
Germany’s central bank, Deutsche Bundesbank and its national exchange Deutsche Börse, have joined forces to develop a functional prototype for a blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based settlement of securities. Stefan Teis, senior vice president for group product and business development at Deutsche Börse, stresses that the “prototype is based on a conceptual study and not intended… Read More >>
Will Blockchain Technology Eliminate Back-Office Jobs?
The media (including FTF News) are excited about the prospects of blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT). But a startling moment from the SEC’s seminal FinTech Forum last month (November 14) has opened a view into the anxiety around DLT. It’s a fair question to ask if this promising technology could eliminate back-office processing positions entirely. At… Read More >>
What’s on Your List of Silver Linings?
Perhaps the only consensus that we can reach is that 2016 has been a very challenging year on every front from global and presidential politics to an ongoing death march by beloved celebrities. To a large extent, elections and celebrity deaths have been set in stone by demographics, a little luck, personal choices and maybe… Read More >>
Regs, DLT & Emerging Markets to Reshape Securities Industry
Like scaffolding on a bank building, the securities industry is getting a make-over via the forces of regulation, new technologies and a reinvigorated emerging markets sector, according to the findings of Deutsche Bank and FT Remark, the research arm of the Financial Times, which conducted a survey of 200 financial services industry participants. In particular,… Read More >>
How Nimbrix Will Transform Software for Asset Managers
(Blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) startup Nimbrix, based in London, recently announced that it’s at work on a forthcoming cutting-edge platform, targeting the needs of asset managers. In conjunction, the vendor has created an industry consortium with the help of KPMG International and Microsoft that’s intended to “bring to market a reinvention of financial services software.”… Read More >>
SETL, Cobalt DL to Create FX Post-Trade DLT Solution
Two distributed ledger technology (DLT) pioneers SETL, a London-based financial blockchain specialist, and Cobalt DL, a private peer-to-peer network provider, have joined forces via a new partnership intended to yield a post-trade platform for foreign exchange (FX) transactions. “In June 2016, SETL announced the launch of our blockchain-powered OpenCSD platform, which enables any market participant… Read More >>
R3 to Contribute Corda Code to Hyperledger Project
As promised months ago, a distributed ledger technology (DLT) consortium of key players, R3, is going to “open source” its DLT platform Corda by the end of November with the hope of making the platform an industry standard that will encourage others to build products on top of it, confirms Todd McDonald, R3 co-founder and… Read More >>
Blockchain Project Tests Post-Trade Ops for Swaps
Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse and JPMorgan with the help of Axoni and other vendors have been successfully testing since June post-trade processes based on blockchain/distributed ledger technologies and smart contracts that support over-the-counter (OTC) equity swaps. “Industry collaboration is key in driving blockchain innovation and Barclays is keen to remain at the forefront of this,”… Read More >>
