big xyt, a provider of data and analytics solutions for securities firms, has launched the Portfolio Liquidity Analysis solution, which was developed in partnership with investment management firm Baillie Gifford, officials say. The solution “enables buy-side firms to gain an independent view” of the liquidity of equity portfolios because of the use of “reliable and consistent… Read More >>
FinTech Brief: CAIS Expands Collaboration with Pershing
CAIS, an alternative investment platform for independent financial advisors, has expanded its relationship with the Pershing clearing, custody, and wealth management services division of BNY Mellon. The expansion was announced late last month “after the launch of CAIS Solutions, a new SaaS [Software as a Service] platform,” which applies CAIS technology to centralize and streamline… Read More >>
FinTech Brief: Northern Trust to Support Costco’s DC Plan
Costco Wholesale Corp. has selected custodian bank Northern Trust to provide custody, daily valuation, and brokerage services for Costco’s defined contribution (DC) retirement plan, with $29 billion in assets, officials say. Costco, based in Seattle, is known as the world’s third-largest retailer and operates 861 warehouses, including 591 in the United States and Puerto Rico…. Read More >>
A Climate Data Platform Prototype Debuts at COP28
Inadvertently, I have stumbled upon another climate-related bit of news. This time it’s about the Net-Zero Data Public Utility (NZDPU), described as “a unified, global, open climate data repository” whose information can be used by many sectors including financial services. A variety of securities firms would welcome free, reliable data about the climate change efforts… Read More >>
FCMs Want Automation Over Headcount for Recs
Futures commission merchants (FCMs) offering sell-side clearing have been making “significant progress in automating” post-trade reconciliation since 2021 and want to apply technology rather than staff members to recs problems, according to the fourth quarter edition of the “Acuiti Sell-Side Clearing Management Insight Report.” However, firms have “some way to go to fully optimize the… Read More >>
FinTech Brief: DTCC’s AIP Services Gains Funds & Clients
DTCC officials have announced a milestone for its Alternative Investment Product Services (AIP), which has had a 20 percent increase in the number of funds to 10,000-plus unique funds. In addition, the number of AIP clients has risen to more than 2,200, an increase of 28 percent. These increases occurred over the past year. The… Read More >>
CFA Guide Helps Advance Crypto Asset Valuation
An association for investment professionals, the CFA Institute, says that it is doing its part to foster a framework for crypto asset valuation by issuing a guide intended to help financial services firms working with smart contract platforms, decentralized applications, and bitcoin. The guide, “Valuation of Cryptoassets: A Guide for Investment Professionals,” was developed by… Read More >>
Buy Side Faces Big Risks via T+1 for FX
The push for shorter settlement cycles — trading day plus one, or T+1 — could pose major settlement and operational risks for buy-side participants in foreign exchange (FX) markets, according to guidance from the Foreign Exchange Professionals Association (FXPA), based in Washington, D.C. “The introduction of T+1 is not intended to increase FX settlement risk…. Read More >>
FinTech Brief: TCS Platform to Replace ASX’s CHESS
The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has selected Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to provide a clearing and settlement platform for the Australian market based upon TCS BaNCS for Market Infrastructure that will replace ASX’s incumbent CHESS system. The TCS BaNCS for Market Infrastructure has been designed for central securities depositories (CSDs), central counterparty clearinghouses (CCPs), exchanges,… Read More >>
FinTech Briefs: HSBC’s Digital Custody Platform Set for 2024 & Other News
HSBC Collaborates with Metaco HSBC officials recently announced that the international bank will launch a digital assets custody service for institutional clients that invest in tokenized securities. “Once live in 2024, HSBC’s new digital assets custody service will complement HSBC Orion, the bank’s platform for issuing digital assets, as well as HSBC’s recently launched offering… Read More >>