It’s a challenge to predict how technologies will fare in the universe of securities operations. For instance, the hype around blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) has been far outpacing the reality of DLT-based systems and applications in production at securities trading firms, causing some to wonder if there will ever be actual results. However, Commerzbank and… Read More >>
U.S. Institutional Investors Still Love ETFs
The love affair between U.S. institutional investors and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is showing no signs of slowing down. A new report “ETFs: U.S. Institutions’ New Tool of Choice for Portfolio Construction,” from market research firm Greenwich Associates finds that “institutional investments in ETFs increased significantly in the United States in 2018. Average allocations by institutions… Read More >>
Navigating Nervous Markets Without Clarity
To say the least, there is a great deal of nervousness about the economy and, particularly, the “R” word. If it’s any comfort, finding a clear consensus among economists about whether and when there might be an economic recession is mostly impossible as the results from a recent survey underscore. The survey in question is… Read More >>
Cast Your Vote in the FTF Awards Competition
It’s that time of year again when we unveil the nominations for the FTF News Technology Innovation Awards for 2019. We are proud to say that this year we have an assortment of new and established industry nominees that share a commitment to pursuing excellence in securities operations. It was a challenging process to review… Read More >>
CFTC Kept Watch During the Shutdown
One of the unknowns of the 35-day, partial federal government shutdown that ended on January 25 is what happens when the regulators aren’t looking. For the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), it “continued to perform essential market-critical functions throughout the shutdown,” says Chairman J. Christopher Giancarlo in a statement issued on Jan. 28 when… Read More >>
FTF News & ISITC Extend Alliance
FTF News is happy to announce a big step for us and we hope a major boost to what we are providing to you — we will be the exclusive media partner for ISITC throughout 2019. As you know, the ISITC industry trade group has made a major commitment to foster standards and best practices… Read More >>
Could We Please Avoid the ‘The Blockchain Wars?’
Many industry observers are expecting the blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) movement to yield real-world results (and tests) this year, which is making some entrenched concerns nervous and some rebels very happy. In fact, we reported on how HSBC has been using a DLT implementation internally to settle more than three million foreign exchange (FX) transactions… Read More >>
E.U. Authorities Brace for a Hard Brexit
Lost amid all the hot air about Brexit are the many global securities operations that will be disrupted when the U.K. leaves the E.U. One of the more contentious issues for global firms will be how to sort out their interactions with central counterparty clearinghouses (CCPs) based in the U.K. and Europe especially if there… Read More >>
CFTC Explains Smart Contracts
Through its LabCFTC extension for FinTech innovation, the CFTC has issued a primer “intended to be an educational tool” to explain what a “smart contract” actually is (in case you’re not certain), and to point out some of its shortcomings. “Fundamentally, a ‘smart contract’ is a set of coded computer functions,” according to the primer…. Read More >>
A Recap of the Deutsche Bank Raids
Last week’s raids on Deutsche Bank’s headquarters in Frankfurt and key bank branches by approximately 170 German law enforcement officials have sent shock waves throughout the financial services world. This must have been especially nerve-wracking news for those firms working so hard to stay within the difficult lines of compliance. Essentially, the German authorities say… Read More >>
