The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reports that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has filed a consent order against five companies charged with operating the BitMEX cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform. The five companies are HDR Global Trading Ltd., 100x Holding Ltd., ABS Global Trading Ltd., Shine Effort Inc Ltd.,… Read More >>
SmartStream Applies A.I. to Recs Processes
SmartStream Air Version 4 Gets an A.I. Refresh Post-trade solutions vendor SmartStream Technologies recently launched SmartStream Air Version 4, an application update that uses artificial intelligence (A.I.) technology to support real-time and continuous reconciliation processes, officials say. The update “will allow customers to use a much wider range of processing, including payment reconciliations, which is… Read More >>
SEC Penalizes Poloniex via Digital Assets Case
Boston-based crypto-asset exchange Poloniex is paying more than $10 million in disgorgement and a civil penalty to the SEC to settle allegations that it once was operating as “an unregistered online digital asset exchange” in the U.S., according to the regulator. “Without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, Poloniex agreed to the entry of a… Read More >>
NYSE Mandates Vaccinations for Trading Floor Participants
Vaccinated Personnel Not Required to Wear Masks The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is requiring all personnel working on its open outcry trading floor at 11 Wall Street to be vaccinated, but “masks are optional for vaccinated personnel at this time,” according to a memo obtained FTF News. The Aug. 11 memo to the NYSE… Read More >>
UBS Joins Broadridge’s Platform for Repo Transactions
Broadridge Financial Solutions has gotten the endorsement of Swiss banking giant UBS for a distributed ledger repo (DLR) platform that promises participants greater liquidity, less risk, and reduced operation costs, officials say. Vendor officials say that the DLR system provides a single platform for market participants to agree, execute and settle repo transactions. “Under a… Read More >>
Regulated Tokens Could Greatly Reduce Settlement Burdens: Q&A
(Anthony Culligan, the chief engineer at SETL, a London-based blockchain vendor, recently authored a whitepaper, “Realizing the Regulated Internet of Value,” focusing on regulation and the phenomenon of tokenization via blockchains/distributed ledger technology (DLT). Culligan argues that tokenization could profoundly streamline middle- and back-office operations and facilitate a generic way to own and trade regulated… Read More >>
T. Rowe Price’s RIA to Launch in March 2022
New RIA to Be Independent of T. Rowe Price T. Rowe Price officials report that the firm’s funds’ board added a new subadviser — T. Rowe Price Investment Management (TRPIM) — the firm’s own SEC-registered and fully independent investment adviser. Late last year, T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. announced that it would establish TRPIM as a… Read More >>
Here’s How to Prevent a Ransomware Attack
Ransomware is on the rise across all sectors, including financial services, and in late June the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) provided some statistics that are disturbing. “From January 2020 through May 2021, DFS-regulated companies have reported 74 ransomware attacks. These attacks ranged in impact, from crippling days-long shutdowns to minor disruption… Read More >>
Crypto Regs Are on SEC Chair’s Radar
SEC Chair Gary Gensler says that the regulator must consider ways to protect investors vulnerable to the “Wild West” of cryptocurrencies, the trading and custody for crypto-based instruments, and the tokenization bandwagon. In remarks at the Aspen Security Forum on Aug. 3, Gensler noted that “the crypto asset class has ballooned. As of Monday [Aug…. Read More >>
FBI, SEC & FINRA Warn Against Imposter Brokers
None other than Larson E. Whipsnade himself declared, “You can’t cheat an honest man.” That was in the 1939 movie of the same name, and Whipsnade was played by W.C. Fields. So, it should come as no surprise that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Financial Interest… Read More >>
