Normally, this blog focuses on insights into very detailed post-trade operational and IT management issues that are key to what you do every day. I try to focus on what’s useful to you and I hope that I have succeeded in the past. For this post, I will take a detour and focus on what… Read More >>
The Trust Issue
Financial services firms in the U.S. and Europe have taken several hits when it comes to trust as revealed via public relations giant Edelman’s 2013 Trust Barometer. Recent scandals have turned the tide in favor of BRIC and Asia-Pacific firms, according to the Edelman survey. But these far-flung venues may not be the safe havens… Read More >>
Time to Dump Your Legacy Systems?
A survey of 125 financial services firms in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, sponsored by SimCorp StrategyLab, hits on a tricky question for many firms—just when do legacy systems simply cost so much to maintain that to replace them would be more cost-effective? This issue is hitting home just when most firms are focusing their… Read More >>
FinTech Spotlight: Electra, Eze Castle Integration and SWIFT
(Editor’s Note: This week we focus on new offerings from Electra Information Systems and Eze Castle Integration, and a challenge from SWIFT’s Innotribe group.) Electra Debuts Quantum Fee Calculation System Post-trade solutions provider Electra Information Systems has officially moved into the fee calculation and invoicing realm with the launch of the Quantum software system that… Read More >>
Compliance and the Promised Land
One of the legacies of 2012—a tumultuous year by anyone’s standards—is that financial product innovation has been put on the shelf by the constant flow of new regulations (with more to come) and a weak recovery that has squeezed profit margins. Most firms have been quickly shifting their energies and budgets to compliance. In fact, as… Read More >>
Tech Spotlight: The Abacus Group
(Editor’s Note: The Abacus Group, based in New York City, is this week’s focus for the FTF News Tech Spotlight. Our Q&A with Chris Grandi provides insight into how the pioneering vendor has made the case over the past four years that cloud computing is a great fit for hedge funds. This and other Q&A… Read More >>
Progress Software Clarifies CEO Transition as OpenGamma Staffs Up
Progress Software Keeps Interim CEO Philip M. Pead, who had been serving as the interim CEO for software development tools provider Progress Software Corp., has kept CEO title and taken on the role of president, say company officials. However, Pead will relinquish the interim executive chairman title, which goes to Jack Egan, who has been… Read More >>
Are Obama and Christie a Model for Bipartisanship?
I am cautiously optimistic about the bipartisanship of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and President Obama as they combine forces to help the Garden State recover from Hurricane Sandy. Could it be a model for Congress and the White House to work together on fiscal matters and financial regulation—even if it only lasts for the… Read More >>
UBS to Cut 10,000 Jobs as SIFMA Board Elects Officers
UBS to Cut 10,000 Employees by 2015 Swiss banking giant UBS will be cutting its work force by 10,000 over the next two years as it moves away from its less lucrative fixed income business, and attempts to transform itself into “the UBS of the future,” officials say. “By concentrating on its traditional strengths in… Read More >>
Some Vacation Advice before Armageddon Hits
For many of you, August is the last chance to squeeze in a vacation before the onslaught of the fall, which this year will be fairly eventful on many fronts. We face a watershed presidential election, a global financial meltdown and widespread corruption in the financial services industry. So, before you leave for vacation, let’s… Read More >>
