ESMA Also Blesses ICE Clear Europe The Bank of England (BofE) has just updated its list of U.K. authorized central counterparty clearinghouses (CCPs) to include the authorization of ICE Clear Europe Ltd., officials say. Part of the Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., ICE Clear Europe provides central counterparty clearing and risk management services for interest rate, equity… Read More >>
Support Growing for ISDA’s Initial Margin Standard
Support is growing for a new methodology for calculating initial margin for non-cleared derivatives instruments that was developed by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA). Simultaneously, exchange and clearinghouse operator, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), reports that the ICE Benchmark Administration (IBA) group, a provider of regulated benchmarks, launched a crowdsourcing facility in support of… Read More >>
Clearing Relief Comes for Small Firms in Europe
Although larger financial services firms or so-called “Category 1” players jumped out of the over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives mandatory clearing starting gate on June 21, 2016, smaller users or “Category 3” firms could be getting a reprieve and see their start date delayed from 2017 to 2019. The deadline has been extended by European Securities and… Read More >>
Barclays Pushes to Keep its Blockchain/DLT Edge
Although there have been a host of reports questioning the viability of blockchain, banks are still forging ahead, reviewing different ways to deploy cutting-edge, systems that exploit distributed ledger technology (DLT), if the recent Smart Contract Templates Summit is anything to go by. Barclays, for example, is striking partnerships with start-ups and testing its own… Read More >>
State Street to Test Service for Collateral Settlement
State Street will embark upon a pilot program in the first quarter of 2017 that will test the margin settlement messaging service of vendor GlobalCollateral as the global custodian intends to automate as much as possible the collateral settlement process, officials confirm. GlobalCollateral, a joint venture of Euroclear and the DTCC, is readying for prime… Read More >>
FINCAD Debuts Web App for F3 System
FINCAD, a valuation and risk analytics vendor for derivatives portfolios, has added a web-based portfolio analytics and risk application to its F3 offering in an effort provide a more straightforward interface and improved usability, officials say. The FINCAD F3 with the new F3 WorkStation is being targeted at quants, portfolio managers, traders, and risk managers… Read More >>
Elizabeth Warren, Others Push for Derivatives Overhaul
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and two other Democrats in Washington, D.C. are proposing sweeping legislation governing derivatives that includes authorization for the CFTC to collect user fees from financial services firms to cover its budget in a way similar to fees collected by the SEC. Industry observers, however, counter that if those fees are… Read More >>
Time for a CFTC User’s Fee?
Would it really be such a bad idea for the CFTC to charge a user’s fee? That issue may wind up being a spinoff from a bill put forth late last month by the Wall Street lightning rod U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) with the support of Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.)…. Read More >>
Brexit Crisis Spurs U.S. Groups Into Action
It looks as if June 23, 2016 will be another day that will live in infamy. Some of the infamous ripples from the Brexit crisis are making their way across the pond to the United States. Key industry organizations, regulators and securities firms are taking initial actions, formulating strategies and watching with interest as the… Read More >>
Brexit’s Biggest Impacts to Hit Over Next Two Years
In the run-up to the U.K. referendum, polls were showing that the remain camp was in front, albeit just, but as the night of June 23rd unfolded, it became clear that a slim majority of the British public voted to leave the European Union. It did not take long for David Cameron, the prime minister… Read More >>
