1. Best A.I. Solution

Generative artificial intelligence (gen A.I.) has made a big splash in the securities industry and many firms and providers are exploring how to apply this game-changing technology to data, analytics, accounting, databases, cloud services, modeling, and operations for wealth and asset management, investment banking, and securities transactions. Industry participants are also applying gen A.I. to unstructured data, client engagements, corporate actions, and manual tasks and systems. The winner in this category must demonstrate how its gen A.I. solution greatly improved a key operation for financial institutions or led to a breakthrough.

2. Best Alternative Data Provider

The winner in this category will be a provider of alternative data feeds and data from unconventional sources. The provider must demonstrate excellence in meeting the non-mainstream, unstructured data needs of financial services firms including hedge funds, pension funds, and mutual funds. The types of data that fit into this category encompass information offerings for cutting-edge derivatives, ESG-based investment strategies, voluntary carbon credit (VCC) investing, social media interactions, satellite imagery, and digital asset transactions.

3. Best AML/Anti-Fraud Solution

This category cites the provider that demonstrates how its offerings help financial services firms detect money laundering, comply with domestic and international sanctions and implement strategies to counter illegal interactions with organized crime and terrorist groups. The winning solution should also help firms combat insider trading, and internal fraud.

4. Best Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) Implementation

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) technologies are shaking up major facets of securities operations from robo-advisors to reconciliation systems guided by A.I. implementations. This award will spotlight the industry participant that has done the most to advance operations via AI, ML or natural language processing (NLP) initiatives.

5. Best Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) Initiative

Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies are shaking up major facets of securities operations from robo advisors to reconciliation systems guided by A.I. This award will spotlight the industry participant that has done the most to advance operations via A.I./M.L. operations via natural language processing, A.I./M.L. initiatives.

6. Best Blockchain Solution of the Year

The securities industry is moving ahead with new solutions that use blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) for cryptocurrency-based transactions or for advances in key operations. The new systems are beginning to challenge incumbent middle- and back-office systems that support multiple assets. Financial services firms, a variety of IT and service providers and other organizations are making blockchains a new, exciting reality. This award is meant to focus attention on the breakthrough systems that will advance securities operations the most.

7. Best Buy-Side Collateral Management Solution

Optimizing collateral management has come into sharp focus for many buy-side firms especially as they have had to revamp their infrastructures to meet new regulatory regimes. Advances via distributed ledger technology (DLT) and artificial intelligence (A.I.) are easing workflows and compliance burdens. This award honors the provider, consultant, or internal IT organization that has been the most effective in helping buy-side operations staff achieve higher levels of internal efficiency in the oversight of collateral.

8. Best Buy-Side Enterprise Solution

This award recognizes the provider that offers buy-side firms a comprehensive set of solutions for securities operations that helps firms achieve operational excellence. The solution set can be deployed onsite, use cloud computing technology, be completely outsourced, or use a combination of these deployment methods. The award is meant to reward the provider whose ambitious, enterprise-wide offerings have exceeded expectations.

9. Best Buy-Side Operation Solution

This award recognizes the provider that offers buy-side firms a comprehensive set of solutions for securities operations that helps firms achieve operational excellence. The solution set can be deployed onsite, use cloud computing technology, be completely outsourced, or use a combination of these deployment methods. The award is meant to reward the provider whose ambitious, enterprise-wide offerings have exceeded expectations.

10. Best Buy-Side Operations Solution

This award will recognize the IT solution, systems, innovation or service that exemplifies the best that a provider has to offer for buy-side firms as they strive for operational excellence. The winning offering can be a standalone product or service or part of a suite.

11. Best Clearing & Settlement Solution

The voters will be rewarding the solution provider that has achieved a level of excellence via innovation for the clearing and settlement of market transactions. In addition to the established providers, the voters will consider those vendors breaking ground for new financial instruments and the latest regulatory changes.

12. Best Clearing and Settlement Solution

The voters will be rewarding the solution provider that has achieved a new level of excellence via innovation for transaction clearing and settlement operations. The competition is opened to established providers and the newcomers that are breaking ground for cutting-edge financial instruments, especially via disruptive and emerging technologies, workflows, and collaborative efforts.

13. Best Client Reporting Solution

This award honors the provider that has advanced the complex process of client reporting. The winner will demonstrate that it has improved the customization, look, and feel, and delivery of reports for many kinds of clients and portfolios. The award also recognizes progress in automating reports, managing source data, monitoring the status of productions, and clarity in performance reporting.

14. Best Client Services Solution

The proper care of client starts with the best on-boarding process, which involves flawless know your customer (KYC) data and support. Ongoing customer care is also essential and customer relationship management (CRM) systems can help firms better serve their clients. This award will focus attention on the provider that advances optimal treatment of market participants.

15. Best Cloud Adapted Solution Provider

This award focuses on the technology that has been able to efficiently and effectively modernize its platform to include cloud functionality. Although these products were not originally built to engage within the cloud, they have adapted to the new opportunities cloud computing presents, managing to be easily updated and maintained with a very different set of architectural constraints. These software providers have seamlessly adapted their product to the cloud from their original on-premises infrastructure.

16. Best Cloud Computing Solution

Cloud computing has become part of the landscape for securities trading operations. More services and systems that were once strictly onsite are moving to the cloud. This award category is open to a variety of operations providers such as those that provide support via infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS); platform-as-as-service (PaaS); software-as-a-service (SaaS); managed services; and cloud-native solutions.

17. Best Cloud Provider

This award acknowledges the cloud provider that has advanced the scalable access to computing resources and IT support. The award is open to providers of infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS); platforms-as-as-service (PaaS); and/or software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. The winner in this category will be honored for offering the highest levels of reliability, security and adaptability, and for demonstrating capabilities for rapid implementations and flexible consumer models.

18. Best Cloud-Native Computing Platform

This award category focuses on the next chapter in cloud computing – cloud-native advances that are paving the way for digital transformations and other evolutionary strategies. This category is open to managed service and cloud-native solutions providers, and to companies that offer infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS); platform-as-as-service (PaaS); and software-as-a-service (SaaS) implementations.

19. Best Collateral Management Solution

Financial services firms have had to comply with an onslaught of collateral and margining regulations that are creating workflows that stretch across front, middle and back offices. To alleviate the burdens of the new rules, providers are creating and updating solutions to help firms optimize the oversight of collateral and margining. This award will focus on the provider that has done the most to help firms prevail over an upheaval in a major securities operation.

20. Best Compliance Solution

This award is for the solution that delivers a distinguished offering in a specialized area, designed to help meet a critical compliance need. The winning supplier must demonstrate an ability to keep pace with an evolving industry and show a level of achievement in improving their clients’ needs to meet obligations and optimize their operations. Solutions eligible for nomination can be from any niche area of compliance for equities, fixed income, and derivative instruments. In addition, solutions that focus on relevant aspects of regulatory, legal, data, social, and IT compliance are also eligible.

21. Best Consultancy for Operations

This honor is for the consultancy that has distinguished itself via achievements such as successful operational IT implementations, accredited and noted research, or consulting services that helped clients advance against competitors.

22. Best Corporate Actions Data Provider

Corporate actions processing needs reliable data from publicly-traded companies that is distributed in a variety of efficient channels that meet customers’ particular requirements. The winner in this category offers clients the most comprehensive global coverage in a timely manner and via a user-friendly, consolidated view. The top provider in this category has a complete offering that lowers operational risks for clients.

23. Best Corporate Actions Processing Solution

Corporate actions processing continues to advance and this award spotlights the provider that has incorporated industry standards, advanced automation, data management, ESG data, and emerging technologies. The winner in this category will have helped its clients move closer to automation and streamlined processing.

24. Best Corporate Actions Service Provider

Corporate actions processing continues to advance and this award spotlights the provider that has incorporated industry standards, advanced automation, data management, ESG data, and emerging technologies. The winner in this category will have helped its clients move closer to automation and streamlined processing.

25. Best Cutting-Edge Ops Solution

This award recognizes the industry participant that has successfully developed innovative financial technology solutions for middle- and back-office post-trade operations. Eligible areas of consideration include artificial intelligence/machine learning systems, cloud-native services, hybrids of legacy and cutting-edge IT, a groundbreaking offering that eliminates manual processes, and offerings that employ natural language processing.

26. Best Cutting-Edge Solution

This award recognizes the industry participant that has successfully developed innovative financial technology solutions for middle- and back-office post-trade operations. Eligible areas of consideration include advanced cloud-native services, hybrids of legacy and cutting-edge IT, a groundbreaking offering that eliminates manual processes, and new Ops-focused products that break the mold.

27. Best Cyber Resilience Solution

The winning solution must enable firms to proactively identify, mitigate, prevent and recover from cybersecurity incidents while maintaining operational continuity and regulatory compliance. Eligible solutions should showcase advanced capabilities in threat detection, incident response, data protection, and system recovery, tailored specifically to the unique challenges of the capital markets environment. This category recognizes providers that set a new standard in resilience, empowering firms to operate securely in an ever-evolving threat landscape.

28. Best Cyber-Security Solution

For achievement in this category, the cyber-security winner will have had to demonstrate effective protection against malware, ransomware, data hacks, and new security challenges such as those via mobile devices and cryptocurrency-based financial products.

29. Best Cybersecurity Solution

The infrastructure of cyberspace has become a key operational concern for financial services firms because so much of what they do relies upon it. This award will give the spotlight to a provider that is helping firms fend off cyber threats and hazards, and helping them to fix vulnerabilities that might allow hackers to steal information and money, and/or commit banking and financial fraud.

30. Best Data Aggregator

This award recognizes the provider that excels in delivering comprehensive data aggregation capabilities. The winning solution must demonstrate excellence in collecting, normalizing, and centralizing data from diverse internal and external sources, enabling firms to create a unified and accurate view across systems. Nominees should showcase innovation in handling structured and unstructured data, real-time aggregation capabilities, and the ability to support complex data governance requirements. This category celebrates solutions that help middle and back-office operations overcome data fragmentation challenges, enhance decision-making, and drive operational efficiency through superior data aggregation technology.

31. Best Data Integration Solution

This award spotlights the most effective and innovative solution for seamless data integration. The winning solution must enable firms to aggregate, harmonize, and manage data from diverse sources, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and accessibility across systems and workflows. Nominees should demonstrate excellence in facilitating interoperability, reducing data silos, and enhancing decision-making through advanced integration capabilities such as application programming interfaces (APIs), cloud-based technologies, and real-time synchronization. This category celebrates solutions that empower firms to unlock the full potential of their data and drive operational efficiency.

32. Best Data Management Solution

Managing data to get the most out of it for securities operations is an ongoing challenge for all financial services firms. Data that is optimized will yield multiple benefits for securities operations and beyond. This honor is for the provider that has demonstrated that it can help firms derive the most value from their clean data and pave the way for greater advancements to come.

33. Best Data Provider

The winner in this category offers clients the most comprehensive global coverage in a timely manner and via a user-friendly, consolidated view. The top provider in this category has a complete offering that lowers operational risks for clients.

34. Best Derivatives Operations Solution

Derivatives operations have gotten complicated and this award cites the provider that has stood above its competitors in achieving excellence via superior services and solutions that greatly improve operations for processing listed and/or over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives.

35. Best Derivatives Processing Solution

This award recognizes the leading solution that excels in streamlining and optimizing derivatives processing. Nominees must demonstrate superior capabilities in managing the full lifecycle of derivatives, including trade capture, clearing, settlement, collateral management, and regulatory compliance. Nominees should emphasize their achievements in innovation that enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability, while addressing the complexities of listed, over-the-counter (OTC), and non-cleared derivatives. This category celebrates solutions that empower market participants to navigate the evolving derivatives landscape with operational excellence.

36. Best Digital Asset Processing Solution

This award salutes the most innovative and effective solution for managing the processing lifecycle of digital assets including settlement, custody, reconciliation, and compliance. Nominees must demonstrate capabilities in facilitating the seamless handling of cryptocurrencies, tokenized securities, and other blockchain-based assets. Nominees should also showcase advancements in scalability, security, interoperability, and integration with traditional financial systems. This category celebrates solutions that enable market participants to embrace digital assets confidently and efficiently, driving adoption and operational excellence in this emerging sector.

37. Best Digital Transformation Solutions Provider

Many firms are revving up their digital transformations for securities operations. Firms are exploring for their digital journeys artificial intelligence (A.I.) solutions, machine learning (ML) technologies, and disruptive influences such as blockchain/distributed ledger technologies (DLT) used for cryptocurrency-based transactions. The common factor is that these systems are beginning to challenge incumbent middle- and back-office systems. This award focuses attention on the breakthrough systems are advancing securities operations the most.

38. Best Digital Workplace Collaboration System

Secure messaging and videoconferencing systems are playing new and important roles at financial services firms. These roles were enhanced by the pandemic-induced lockdown and market volatility challenges of 2020. The award in this category would spotlight the third-party provider or the internally developed system that offered the most secure, cost-effective capabilities to facilitate important trade support functions overseen by securities operations. The winning system would also offer new channels between sell-side and buy-side firms, and between securities firms and their clients.

39. Best Disruptive Solution

Disruptive technologies are new realities for financial services firms participating in securities markets. Distributed ledgers, A.I.-based solutions such as machine learning and natural language advances, big data projects, open-source efforts, application programming interface (API) links, and quantum computing are solving old problems in a new more complete way and becoming part of the post-trade IT landscape. This award highlights the solution that helps firms leap forward in their technology journeys rather than make incremental changes that maintain the status quo.

40. Best DLT Initiative of the Year

Distributed ledger technology (DLT) efforts are promising to revolutionize much of the major aspects of middle- and back-office operations. To that end, financial services firms, providers and other organizations have been investigating the future impacts of DLT-based systems. This award is meant to focus attention on the initiative that will most advance securities operations.

41. Best Enterprise Data Management Solution

The judges will reward the provider that has successfully applied effective data management capabilities that ease middle- and back-office operations, including innovations that that facilitate straight through processing (STP).

42. Best Enterprise-Wide Derivatives Processing Solution

Over-the-counter (OTC) and listed derivatives processing have endured major reforms over the past decade. Most recently, firms have had to adjust to the onset of uncleared margin rules (UMR) for non-centrally cleared derivatives. This award will focus attention on the provider that has stayed ahead of the curve for the many facets of derivative operations and kept its customers ahead of the competition. The winner in this category should be able to demonstrate how it helps streamline transaction creation and execution, optimize documentation support, eliminate error-prone manual steps, and help firms make the most of a new landscape.

43. Best ESG Data Provider

Investing based upon ESG principles is creating opportunities for many financial services firms. Inherent in these opportunities is the critical need for reliable ESG data in order to meet complex client demands. The unconventional nature of ESG data is challenging incumbent providers and opening the door for newcomers and partnerships. This category will honor the provider that can best meet multiple ESG data demands efficiently, consistently, and completely.

44. Best Financial Crime Prevention & Recovery System

Internal and external financial crimes against financial institutions are on the rise and firms are fighting this battle on many fronts. Providers have been advancing solutions to combat internal and external acts of fraud, insider trading, money laundering, terrorist financing, and multiple forms of corruption. This award will shine the light upon software, services, systems, and advances in surveillance that help firms protect themselves from danger and reputational damage.

45. Best Financial Crime Prevention Technology

Internal and external financial crimes against financial institutions are on the rise and firms are fighting this battle on many fronts. Providers have been advancing solutions to combat internal and external acts of fraud, insider trading, cyber-attacks, money laundering, terrorist financing, and multiple forms of corruption. This award will shine the light upon software, services, systems, and advances in surveillance that help firms protect themselves from danger and reputational damage.

46. Best Financial Crime Surveillance Technology

Internal and external financial crimes against financial institutions are on the rise and firms are fighting this battle on many fronts. Providers have been advancing solutions to combat internal and external acts of fraud, insider trading, money laundering, terrorist financing, and multiple forms of corruption. This award will shine the light upon software, services, systems, and advances in surveillance that help firms protect themselves from danger and reputational damage.

47. Best Fraud Prevention Solution

This award pays tribute to the most effective and innovative solution designed to detect, prevent, and mitigate fraud. The winning solution must demonstrate advanced capabilities in real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and risk assessment, leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics to stay ahead of evolving fraud tactics. Nominees should showcase their ability to protect firms and clients from financial and reputational harm while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. This category celebrates solutions that set new benchmarks for safeguarding the integrity of their clients’ operations.

48. Best Global Settlement Solution

The voters will be rewarding the solution provider that has achieved a new level of excellence via innovation for transaction clearing and settlement operations, including assistance with the move to shorter, T+1 settlement. The competition is open to established consultancies and providers, and newcomers. The winning provider must facilitate groundbreaking solutions for incumbent and cutting-edge financial instruments, especially via disruptive and emerging technologies, workflows, and collaborative efforts.

49. Best Investment Book of Record (IBOR) Solution

Investment Book of Record (IBOR) solutions have helped increase operational efficiency across the front, middle and back office. This award recognizes the lead IBOR provider.

50. Best Machine Learning Solution

This award honors the most innovative and effective solution utilizing A.I.-based machine learning capabilities. Nominees must demonstrate how their solution enhances processes like data gathering and cleansing, trade processing, risk management, surveillance, analytics, compliance, and overall operational efficiency. The winning entry will highlight its measurable impacts on the industry, seamless technology integration, and a significant boost to client satisfaction, performance, and competitiveness.

51. Best Margining Solution

This new award will shine the spotlight on the solution that has helped industry participants, including investors and brokerages, vastly improve the margining process that is essential to meeting the new rules for uncleared derivatives transactions. The winning solution will also help firms to effectively navigate the capital, margin and segregation regulations that govern this very active area of the securities industry. This award category is open to providers, consultancies, industry organizations, and internal IT groups.

52. Best Middle-Office Solution

The middle office plays an important role in optimizing operations across the enterprise. The winner in this category will be chosen from among the ranks of middle-office operations providers that offer IT resource management services, risk management, risk data analytics, client and security master database support, and services for the coding, configuration, and verification of trades.

53. Best Middle-to-Back-Office Integration Solution

The middle and back-offices are no longer autonomous groups existing independently of each other. They are linked by multiple operations serving multiple assets. This award will spotlight the Ops offering that helps firm facilitate more efficient integration between middle- and back-office applications, particularly IT innovations that eliminate manual systems, legacy solutions and pave the way for operational efficiency.

54. Best New Post-Trade Solution

This distinction focuses attention on the solution from a startup or an established provider that launched an exceptional offering during the past year. The new product should bring new efficiencies and new benefits to middle- or back-office systems. The new offerings to be considered should help the buy side meet crucial operational efficiency demands. New offerings for consideration can come from established providers or newcomers to the industry.

55. Best New Post-Trade Solution for the Buy Side

This distinction focuses attention on the buy-side solution launched during the past year that brings innovation to middle- or back-office functions. The systems to be considered should help the buy side meet crucial operational efficiency demands. New offerings for consideration can come from established providers or newcomers to the industry.

56. Best Operational Risk Management Solution

Operational risk permeates everything that a financial services firm does, including securities trading and all the steps needed to complete a transaction. This award will go to the provider that has shown the most creativity in mitigating operational risk whether it is related to onboarding and KYC challenges, reputational concerns, margining and collateral management woes, data mismanagement, disaster recovery/business continuity, corporate governance, and other issues that may hamper operations.

57. Best Ops Data Management Solution

Managing data to get the most out of it for securities operations is an ongoing challenge for all financial services firms. Data that is optimized will yield multiple benefits for current efforts and beyond. This honor is for the provider that has demonstrated that it can help firms derive the most value from their clean data, and pave the way for greater advancements to come.

58. Best OTC Derivatives Margining Solution

Over-the-counter (OTC) and listed derivatives processing have endured major reforms and regulatory changes over the past decade. This award will focus attention on the provider that has stayed ahead of the curve for the many facets of derivative operations and kept its customers ahead of the competition. The winner in this category should be able to demonstrate how it helps streamline transaction creation and execution, optimize documentation support, eliminate error-prone manual steps, and meet the ongoing challenges of the uncleared margin rules (UMR) for non-centrally cleared derivatives.

59. Best OTC Derivatives Solution

Over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives processing has gone through a revolution over the past decade. This award will focus attention on the provider that has stayed ahead of the curve for OTC derivative operations and kept its customers ahead of the competition. The winner in this category should be able to demonstrate how it helps streamline transaction creation and execution, optimize documentation support, eliminate error-prone manual steps, and overall help end-users benefit from global OTC reforms.

60. Best Outsourcing Provider

Outsourcing plays a key role for many facets of securities operations. This category honors the provider that offers valuable, reliable, cost-effective and efficient outsourced services to the buy side. The winner in this category will be honored for offering the highest levels of reliability, security and adaptability, and for demonstrating capabilities for rapid implementations and flexible consumer models.

61. Best Performance Analytics Solution

Nominees in this category must demonstrate how their solution effectively enables clients to evaluate and optimize their investment strategies, operational efficiencies, and client outcomes through advanced analytics, real-time insights, and comprehensive reporting capabilities. Nominees should demonstrate excellence in leveraging data visualization, predictive analytics, and benchmarking tools to deliver actionable insights that drive decision-making and enhance portfolio performance. This category honors solutions that set new standards for transparency, precision, and strategic value in performance analysis.

62. Best Performance Measurement and Attribution System

This category spotlights the performance measurement solution provider that offers systems for exemplary calculation of returns for portfolios (benchmarks and composites); calculation of attribution effects for equity and fixed-income portfolios; and calculation of ex-post risk, absolute and relative.

63. Best Performance Measurement System

This category spotlights the performance measurement solution provider that offers systems for exemplary calculation of returns for portfolios (benchmarks and composites); calculation of attribution effects for equity and fixed-income portfolios; and calculation of ex-post risk, absolute and relative. This award also acknowledges the efforts that industry participants are making to advance performance measurement via the embrace of ESG concerns among investors and emerging disruptive technologies.

64. Best Pricing or Valuation Solution

Firms are under pressure to implement a wide range of new regulatory requirements. Suppliers need to provide more support for transparency, optimal valuation controls, enhanced risk and better infrastructure options. This award will recognize the service supplier that offers: the broadest product coverage; partners that contribute pricing; excellent methodology; and specific features for the buy side.

65. Best Product Innovation by an Established Provider

This category is open to established providers that have released a brand-new offering, or achieved a breakthrough, major overhaul, or completed significant advances for an existing offering that provides an unprecedented advantage to clients. The new functions can include greater integration via new application programming interfaces (APIs) and new features that facilitate greater system performance and other new benefits for securities operations.

66. Best Professional Services Provider

This award honors the provider that offered cost-effective, customized support for their clients in 2023. Nominees in this category should have supplied exemplary business management plans that facilitated seamless, efficient transitions to both remote and/or onsite professional services support. The category is open to IT systems, services, and software providers, and to third-party companies that specialize in offering professional services.

67. Best Reconciliation Solution

Reconciliation for securities operations has been the focus of a lot of energy over the past five years. The result is a wider range of opportunities available for firms looking for effective solutions. This category is an opportunity for the industry to reward the solution provider offering an innovative approach that yields great results and support, and helps firms reallocate resources to their advantage.

68. Best RegTech & Compliance Provider

This award recognizes the most impactful and innovative solutions that excel in meeting critical financial governance, risk management, and compliance needs and supports regulatory technology (RegTech) initiatives. Eligible offerings must showcase their ability to streamline compliance, enhance regulatory reporting, and address evolving requirements, such as anti-money laundering (AML), economic sanctions, and global financial regulations. Nominees should present how their technology supports firms across equities, fixed income, and derivatives markets, enabling participants to meet regulatory demands efficiently while driving operational excellence. In addition, solutions that help firms focus on relevant aspects of regulatory, legal, data, social, and IT management excellence are also eligible. This category affirms RegTech providers that deliver cutting-edge solutions to help firms navigate the complexities of today’s regulatory landscape.

69. Best RegTech Solution

Once firms have optimized their internal compliance ecosystems, they often need the support of regulatory technology providers. The RegTech providers considered for this category have demonstrated that they can help firms efficiently meet the external reporting and other demands of regulators, anti-money laundering requirements, and the latest domestic and international economic sanctions of governmental authorities. Suppliers that help participants with compliance in the listed, over-the-counter (OTC), and non-cleared derivatives markets are also eligible for this honor.

70. Best Regulatory Compliance Solution

This award is for the supplier that delivers distinguished offerings to help clients meet their regulatory responsibilities for equities, fixed income, derivative instruments and more. The award targets the offering that does the best job of meeting the demands of regulators, anti-money laundering laws, and the latest domestic and international economic sanctions of governmental authorities.

71. Best Regulatory Reporting Solution

Keeping up with regulatory reporting requirements is an ongoing burden for financial services firms that is only going to become more challenging. Automating processes across an enterprise is daunting for firms, and the industry is exploring a variety of models to support regulatory technology (RegTech). The surge in ESG-based investing has also created a new area of concern for firms that need to prove to investors they are not engaged in greenwashing. This award honors the solutions provider that has made a commitment to advancing data integrity and data governance, ending repetitive processes, and streamlining reporting across the enterprise and to regulators.

72. Best Security Solution

Firms are facing security threats on many fronts, including external and internal vulnerabilities. The ever-widening scope of security threats are causing firms to embrace strategies and offerings that go beyond standard operating procedures. For achievement in this category, the winner must demonstrate excellence in alerting and protecting firms against money laundering schemes, fraud, remote network hacks, malware, ransomware, data hacks, and security challenges via mobile devices, digital assets, and crypto-based financial products.

73. Best Sell-Side Collateral Management Solution

The collateral management complex involves many participants including sell-side firms that must work closely in conjunction with counterparties. This award recognizes the accomplishments of a provider, consultancy, industry organization, or internal IT group that has made great strides in helping sell-side operations maximize their collateral management operations via advances to the workflow, IT systems, and counterparty interactions.

74. Best Social Media and Compliance Solution

This award will focus attention on a solution’s ability to monitor multiple streams of social media activity and aid clients in flagging and averting potentially harmful or illegal information posted to social media sites.

75. Best Solution for T+1 Transition

North American firms have been using a variety of third-party solutions and/or services as they transition their securities operations to shorter, trading day plus one (T+1) settlement cycles. This award will bring the focus to the third-party provider that securities firms have found to be the best at helping them on the road to T+1. The winning solution will have helped firms manage the key challenges inherent in the shift to T+1 and the after-effects of such a move.

76. Best Surveillance & Recovery System

Financial crimes against financial institutions are on the rise and firms are in battle array on many fronts. To help firms fight back, providers have been advancing surveillance solutions to uncover evidence of internal and external acts of fraud, insider trading, sanctions violations, terrorist financing, and complex forms of financial corruption. This award will spotlight software, services, systems, and advances in surveillance and recovery that help firms protect themselves from danger and reputational damage.

77. Best Systems Integrator Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

The onset of the global pandemic caused Ops teams to quickly transform themselves so that they could work remotely and have greater mobility in response to lockdown challenges. Many firms turned to third-party systems integrators and consultancies to set up and maintain what became lifelines for operations. Some of the top areas of concern were support for remote trading and operations, business continuity, secure conferencing systems, reliable virtual private networks (VPNs), and efficient cloud computing.

78. Best T+1 Strategic Partner

The move to shorter, trading day plus one (T+1) settlement has many moving parts and will cause an overhaul of securities operations as we know them. One of the key elements of a successful transition to T+1 settlement will likely include the guidance of a consultancy, advisory, or professional services firm. This award will spotlight the exceptional service offering that helped securities firms cross the line to T+1 settlement.

79. Financial Technology Leader of the Year

This award celebrates an individual who has made a transformative impact on a critical financial technology issue that will help evolve the industry. The honoree will be a leader who has championed innovation, spearheaded key technology initiatives, driven best practices, and/or delivered industry breakthroughs. This visionary demonstrates exceptional skills for collaboration among business executives, IT managers, and operational teams. The winner in this category inspires others to push for progress across the financial technology ecosystem and meaningful change.

80. FinTech Person of the Year

This award will recognize a behind-the-scenes individual who has been highly effective in advancing a major financial technology issue impacting the industry. The person to be honored has devoted much time and effort toward proliferating a new standard, a key technology initiative, a regulatory-related project or a technology breakthrough that benefits the industry. The winner in this category must show that he or she can work across the aisle with business executives and staff.

81. Ops Businessperson of the Year

This award honors an executive-level individual who has advanced the cause of financial technology innovation from the business side of the aisle. The winner of this award can be from a solutions provider, an end-user firm, or related consultancy committed to improving securities operations for financial services firms. The winner must demonstrate that he or she has effectively worked with IT managers and operations staff.

82. Service Provider of the Year

The Service Provider of the Year will be celebrated for advancing the delivery of service, extraordinary client support, new synergies with key market participants and extraordinary leadership in the industry. The winner in this category must be able to show that it boosted the fortunes of its clients.

83. Software Solution of the Year

This award will recognize the software application or software system that over the past year has broken new ground in a major area of securities operations. This category is open to technology providers, industry organizations and financial services firms that are fully engaged in the advancement of operations software. The winning solution must have clear business benefits.

84. The Editor's Choice Award

During 2018, there were many efforts by industry participants to be more socially responsible. These initiatives included moves to satisfy clients’ ESG requirements, diversity outreaches, charitable causes, disaster relief task forces, and innovative ways to finance causes that benefit humanity. In an effort to acknowledge these positive movements, the Editor’s Choice Award for 2019 will focus upon an organization’s push to spur positive changes for all. The FTF News chief content officer, FTF staff, and eligible FTF awards participants can nominate a provider, industry group, end-user financial services firm, user group or individual that has embarked upon a successful endeavor to help humanity. The editor and FTF staff will pick the top nominees and then the ultimate winner. The group or person to be honored in this category can be from any Ops areas.

85. The Editor’s Choice Award for 2021

The Editor’s Choice Award for 2021 will focus upon an individual or an organization that spurred positive changes via a socially responsible initiative. The chief content officer for FTF, the FTF staff, and eligible FTF awards participants can nominate a provider, industry group, end-user financial services firm, user group, or industry participant that has successfully raised awareness about a humanitarian concern. The FTF staff will review the nominees and select the recipient of this honor. The group or individual to be honored can be from any post-trade operations areas.

86. The Editor’s Choice Award for 2022

87. The Editor’s Choice Award for Operational Excellence

The FTF News editor, a panel of judges and FTF News readers can nominate a provider, industry group, end-user financial services firm, user group or individual that has embarked upon a successful financial IT project or industry initiative that has advanced operational efficiency and governance. The editor and the judges will pick the top nominees and then the ultimate winner. The group or person to be honored in this category can be selected from a variety of Ops and governance areas, including whistleblowers, operational data providers, financial services firms that achieved an exemplary implementation of an Ops system, or a new provider that disrupts the industry in a positive way.

88. The FTF News Philanthropic Award 2021

89. The FTF News Philanthropic Award for 2022

This award celebrates an individual or an organization within the securities operations community that not only advanced innovative solutions but also demonstrated meaningful progress in promoting the welfare of others. The winner in this category has had a profound impact upon the greater good.

90. The FTF News Philanthropic Award for 2023

This award celebrates an individual or an organization within the securities operations community that not only advanced innovative solutions but also demonstrated meaningful progress in promoting the welfare of others. The winner in this category has had a profound impact upon the greater good.

91. The FTF News Philanthropic Award for 2024

This award celebrates an individual or an organization within the securities operations community that not only advanced innovative solutions but also demonstrated meaningful progress in promoting the welfare of others. The winner in this category has had a profound impact upon the greater good.