Officials of the U.S. Justice Department and BNP Paribas USA Inc. (BNPP USA) have settled a case in which the subsidiary of BNP Paribas is pleading guilty to one count of price-fixing via foreign exchange (FX) markets and has agreed to pay a criminal fine of $90 million. According to documents filed recently with the… Read More >>
Industry Cries Out for Bitcoin & Blockchain Reality Checks
Bitcoin futures contracts launched Monday, Dec. 18, via the CME Group to a mix of fanfare and skepticism about the crypto currency and the underlying infrastructure that are captivating securities operations. Reflecting the concerns of many, ING analysts posted an analysis Sunday, Dec. 17, “Why Bitcoin is Destined to Become a Niche Asset,” that advocates… Read More >>
New Collateral Management Strategies Require New Building Blocks
Post-crisis regulation and competitive market conditions have forever changed the collateral management process for securities trading firms. The push to develop new collateral optimization strategies has often uncovered major problems within a firm’s own systems and processes. Most firms have had to move quickly to revamp their internal systems and craft new collateral management operations… Read More >>
CFTC Strikes Swaps Equivalency Accord with E.C.
In a step toward the nirvana of harmonization, the CFTC and European Commission (E.C.) moved forward with an agreement to accept the legitimacy of each other’s rules on swap margin agreements and to allow swap trading venues under their jurisdictions to follow their home region’s rules. The two-part agreement covers the comparability of trading platforms… Read More >>
HFT Does Not Require Regulation Yet in U.K.: BoE Exec
The rise of high frequency trading in stock, bond and currency markets and accompanying flash crashes does not necessitate immediate regulatory action, according to Chris Salmon, executive director for markets at the Bank of England (BoE). Speaking at the 13th Annual Central Bank Conference on the Microstructure of Financial Markets in London, Salmon says “though… Read More >>
FTF Focus Spotlights the 2016 FTF Awards Winners
For the sixth year in a row, Financial Technologies Forum (FTF) sponsored the FTF News Technology Innovation Awards competition to help securities industry professionals shine the spotlight on the outstanding companies, individuals and industry groups that have achieved excellence in post-trade operations. The key winners for 2016 are featured in the special Awards Issue… Read More >>
U.K. Firms Told to Keep to MiFID II Timetable
In the current period of post-Brexit limbo, questions are being asked over the fate of impending European regulations such as the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II) which is due to come into force in 2018. While tempting to push it down the agenda — it has been continually delayed — financial institutions… Read More >>
‘Brexit’ Woes Start to Ripple Through Markets
Britain will be holding a referendum to allow the citizens of the United Kingdom (U.K.) to decide whether or not to stay as part of the European Union (E.U.), an effort that is like to cause many ripples in global financial markets before the definitive vote on June 23. The potential British exit, or Brexit,… Read More >>
SEC Closes Loophole for Security-Based Swaps
The SEC is moving to close a loophole in cross-border, security-based swaps trading that allows firms to sidestep U.S. regulation and facilitates regulatory arbitrage between markets in the U.S and the European Union. In a vote last week, the SEC adopted rules that “require a non-U.S. company that uses personnel located in a U.S. branch… Read More >>
CFTC Designates NFA as SDR Data Recipient
CFTC Designates NFA as SDR Data Recipient The CFTC issued an order authorizing the National Futures Association (NFA) as “a designee to receive access to data maintained by swap data repositories (SDR),” officials say. The NFA is touted by the CFTC as the “only registered futures association (RFA)” actually registered with the commodities regulator. “As… Read More >>
