The incoming Trump administration will have clean slates as far as regulating U.S. securities and commodities markets as Rostin Behnam, chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), announced on January 7 that he will be stepping down from his position on January 20 with his final day being Friday, February 7. Behnam was… Read More >>
Pico & BMLL Combine Offerings to Streamline Trading
Pico, a solutions provider for low-latency trading, is partnering with BMLL, a provider of harmonized Level 3, 2, and 1 historical data and analytics, to provide access to real-time and historical data sets simultaneously, officials say. The combination of products and services will provide “a full-suite solution of historical data, backtesting, and live trading environments”… Read More >>
SS&C Launches SaaS Updates for Geneva, Eclipse & OEMS
With alternative investment firms in mind, officials say SS&C Technologies is offering a variety of new features and functions via updated software-as-a-service (Saas) releases of the Geneva, Eclipse, and OEMS products and services platforms. “We tailor our releases to the global marketplace. The recent advancements in our alternatives solutions illustrate our commitment to them to… Read More >>
Geopolitical Woes Are Top Systemic Risk Concerns: Survey
A little more than half of survey respondents — 55 percent — say that they “believe there is high or very high chance” that there will be “a high-impact systemic event” in 2025, and 84 percent express concern that a geopolitical event could impact financial services during the coming year. These findings are from the… Read More >>
Financial Information Inc. Unveils North American IPO Service
Financial Information Inc. (FII), a provider of corporate action data and historical reference services, has unveiled its North American Exchange Initial Public Offering (IPO) Service. Aimed at investment firms, financial institutions, and consultancies operating in U.S. markets, the service is intended to streamline IPO processes on North American exchanges by collating comprehensive data and insights… Read More >>
Are Transfer Agents Worthy of New Respect?
Is the funds industry on the verge of giving transfer agents new respect especially as these entities adjust to digital transformation and digital assets, which serve as gateways to global expansion? This is one of the arguments in a new white paper “Thinking Local, Winning Global: Transfer Agency as a Strategic Advantage,” from SS&C Technologies,… Read More >>
Trump’s SEC May Be Less Aggressive On Fines
(The Trump team is moving fast to get its cabinet nominees in order and Paul Atkins, a former SEC commissioner under President George W. Bush, has been tapped to head the SEC. If Atkins wins the approval of the U.S. Senate, he will succeed Gary Gensler who steps down on Inauguration Day. FTF News asked… Read More >>
NatWest Blocks Staff Usage of WhatsApp, Skype & Messenger
Like many firms, NatWest Group is tightening controls on the communication channels that staff members can use via corporate devices. Earlier this month, the firm blocked the usage of WhatsApp, Skype, and Facebook Messenger because they lack a way to retrieve records, a situation that impedes regulatory compliance. The pushback on problematic communication apps and… Read More >>
FBI Thwarts Attempt to Bomb NYSE
A bombing outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) building at 11 Wall Street in Manhattan was thwarted by an undercover operation led by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who arrested Harun Abdul-Malik Yener and charged him with attempting to build explosives that would kill as many as possible to “reboot” the… Read More >>
ACA Group Acquires FINOP Consulting
Governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) solutions provider ACA Group hopes to bolster the FINRA and SEC compliance services it offers to broker-dealers via the acquisition of FINOP Consulting, an outsourcer for broker-dealers, officials say. Officials declined to provide the financial terms of the acquisition. FINOP Consulting offers financial operations services “that ensure a broker-dealer’s financial… Read More >>