Financial Technologies Forum (FTF) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 FTF News Technology Innovation Awards competition and to confirm that there will be an in-person gala event later this year to celebrate the industry’s achievements in operational excellence. “I think it’s safe to say that it’s been a long two years. During… Read More >>
SEC Hires 20 Crypto Cops & Other News
SEC Adds to Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reports adding 20 positions to its crypto assets and cyber unit, which is tasked with “protecting investors in crypto markets and from cyber-related threats.” The unit, in the SEC’s enforcement division, will grow to 50 dedicated positions, officials say. The unit,… Read More >>
Bloomberg Takes On Corporate Actions Complexity: Q&A
(FTF News recently got the chance to check in with Maureen Gallagher, the global head of enterprise reference data at Bloomberg. Our Q&A covers missing and incomplete corporate actions, the changes that Bloomberg is making to its corporate actions offerings, and the impacts of emerging, disruptive technologies. In her role, Gallagher oversees not only corporate… Read More >>
Asset Tokenization Could Reinvent Post-Trade Ops: Report
Asset tokenization holds a lot of promise for traditional capital markets, particularly via the underlying blockchain technology. But getting to the new benefits could mean a gradual replacement of some incumbent post-trade platforms, systems, and services. That’s what David Easthope tells FTF News. Easthope is a senior analyst covering market structure and technology for the… Read More >>
‘Like Upgrading an Aircraft Midflight’: Q&A
(Correspondent clearing provider RQD* Clearing (RQD) recently announced that it is broadening its partnership with broker-dealer TradingBlock to cover clearing and execution for the firm’s active and retail trading lines. In addition, RQD and TradingBlock are collaborating on TradingBlock’s forthcoming retail trading platform. TradingBlock, whose clients include proprietary traders and small hedge funds, was among… Read More >>
Gensler Pushes for Bond Trading Ops Overhaul
SEC Chair Gary Gensler is calling for a revamp of operations for U.S. fixed income markets — representing $53 trillion in securities — and is calling for price transparency, faster bond reporting, and more transparent post-trade processes, arguing that a new openness would improve counterparty risk management, bolster evaluations of trade execution quality, and increase… Read More >>
StanChart Uses A.I. for Onboarding Funds & Other News
Standard Chartered Joins the Saphyre Platform Standard Chartered’s capital markets division is using a platform that applies artificial intelligence (A.I.) to the onboarding process for new funds and for the maintenance of those funds, say officials at Saphyre, which is the name of the platform and the financial technology vendor that created it. The patent-approved… Read More >>
Is ESG Blurring Too Many Lines?
ESG-based investing efforts and their related operational adjustments are getting real for many securities firms. And the ESG push is beginning to blur many lines that many never questioned before. For those who have not been following ESG too closely, the Investopedia website offers a succinct definition: “Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a… Read More >>
U.K. Authorities Push for Post-Trade Ops Overhauls
An influential U.K.-based task force focused on post-trade operations has issued a report calling for major changes in three “core areas:” non-economic trade data, client onboarding, and uncleared margin management. In addition, a key U.K. authority, the Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities Markets Standards Board (FMSB), has promised to act on the recommendations. The FMSB… Read More >>
SIFMA Urges T+1 Start After Labor Day 2024
One of the leaders in the push for T+1 settlement, SIFMA has relayed in a letter to the SEC its recommendations for the start date of a shorter settlement cycle — Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024 — and for rule changes that would mitigate “potential adverse consequences.” SIFMA, the Investment Company Institute (ICI), and The Depository… Read More >>
