TSAM delegates slam OTC derivatives regulation
As Europe’s new EMIR derivatives regulation takes hold, senior buy-side representatives have warned that new rules including EMIR and Basel III might actually exacerbate risks rather than reduce them.
Europe
Banks and startups celebrate collaboration at London investor day
Major global banks have praised the FinTech Innovation Lab London, a project which partners senior bank executives with startup companies, for helping to energise the development of innovative new products in financial services, at an investor day presentation in London City Hall this morning.
Innovation nation: FinTech in the UK
As one of the world’s leading financial centres, geographically well-positioned between America and the Far East, London is very much a global city. It is perhaps unsurprising then that it also attracts businesses looking to provide financial services worldwide.
Polish bank ramps up mobile payment capability with HP/Accumulate technology
PKO Bank Polski has added a mobile payment service that covers all payment situations using the Mobile Everywhere platform from Stockholm-based Accumulate.
RBS offers to automate SEPA migration for corporates
The Royal Bank of Scotland has announced a new product intended to help clients migrate to mandatory SEPA standards. Called the RBS SEPA Accelerator, the product has a feature that allows a corporate implementing the SEPA XML file format to independently initiate, monitor and amend file testing, validation and end-to-end simulation. This ensures that a corporate can self-test its SEPA readiness.
The rush to Russia
Structural reforms and overhauls of financial infrastructures are intended to turn Moscow into an international financial centre, but there is still a long way to go.
Sentenial completes Benelux expansion with Netherlands office
SEPA solutions specialist Sentenial has completed its planned investment in the Benelux Region with the opening of a fully-supported operational office in Amsterdam and the relocation and expansion of its Brussels office.
New research slams “cynical” financial transaction tax
The imposition of a financial transaction tax in Italy on Friday has prompted condemnation from senior financial market observers, who are warning that the new rules could tip Europe into a liquidity drought that will damage banks and asset managers, punish traditional market participants and encourage a slide away from equities towards other asset classes.
Battle of the bonds begins as Clearstream targets Russian OFZs
German clearing and settlement business Clearstream has opened a new link to Russia’s CSD, the National Settlement Depository, that should allow customers based in the west to trade and settle Russian OFZ treasury bonds more easily.
RenCap and Gatelab support Moscow to London cross-margining
Russian broker Renaissance Capital has built a cross-margining tool for the Moscow FX and derivatives markets Micex Selt and Forts, and the London Stock Exchange’s international order book.
Luxembourg Stock Exchange targets fund transparency
The Luxembourg Stock Exchange is cooperating with IT support company Altus to develop a market infrastructure for European investment funds, which constitute a large part of the Luxembourg economy.
Sentenial poaches Logica CGI payment solutions chief Arens
Payments specialist Sentenial has hired former Logica CGI sales director Jean-Pierre Arens to head up its efforts in France, as the Irish firm expands its ambitions across Europe.
Warsaw Stock Exchange to migrate in April
Poland’s Warsaw Stock Exchange has set a date for its migration onto NYSE Euronext’s UTP trading system.
Rabobank sells Robeco in business reshuffle
Dutch bank Rabobank is to sell its asset management business Robeco to Japanese financial services group Orix for €1.9 billion.
Online bank Holvi plans European banking revolution
A new start-up bank from Finland plans to open across Europe, using an online-only service that it says will redefine what it means to have a bank account.
Speed is not enough for exchange competition
Speed is becoming less of a competitive advantage for exchanges as regulation and the need to support long-term investors comes to the fore, according to Christian Katz, chief executive at SIX Swiss Exchange.
London job market still depressed
London’s financial sector jobs market continues to be depressed, with the number of new jobs on the market down 18% on this time last year, and the number of people looking for jobs down 26%.
Russia’s Alfa Capital boosts front-office tech
Russian asset manager Alfa Capital has implemented SDX, SuperDerivatives real-time cross-asset front office system, for its structured products business.
Jyske Bank goes live with SmartStream corporate actions tools
Danish bank Jyske Bank has gone live with corporate actions technology from SmartStream.
Nasdaq OMX helps Polish clearing house prepare for EMIR
Polish clearing house KPDW CCP has deployed technology from Nasdaq OMX to help it meet the European Commission’s new EMIR rules on OTC derivatives. Under EMIR, the majority of OTC derivatives will have to be centrally cleared via central counterparties. The rules are intended to reduce systemic risks in financial markets by removing the possibility […]
Euroclear Bank opens up Russian bond market
Euroclear Bank has begun clearing and settlement for Russian ruble-denominated OFZ government bonds – a market worth US$100 billion, according to figures provided by Baring Asset Management.
Funds managers sign with Eurex for OTC derivatives clearing
Next month, the European Commission’s EMIR regulation on the central clearing and reporting of OTC derivatives is due to take effect in Germany. Investment managers Insight Investment and OFI Asset Management have begun clearing OTC derivatives on Eurex via its new service, EurexOTC Clear.
NSD builds business intelligence as Moscow goes for gold
Russia’s central securities depository NSD is to get a complete business intelligence overhaul through a joint project with consultancy Optima Group. The deal should help bolster NSD as one of the key pieces in the government’s strategy to turn Moscow into an international financial centre.
CME gears up for European OTC deluge
As new rules for the central clearing of OTC derivatives loom ever larger on the horizon in both Europe and the US, technology is helping to make the transition easier – but the kind of contracts being traded may well change, according to CME Group.
Finalists named for London banking ideas challenge
Seven innovative start-up companies have been chosen to take part in a major new London-based project that aims to bolster advanced technologies in financial services. The seven firms will participate in a twelve-week programme in which they will gain support from the major banks and gather interest from venture capitalists and investors.
Netherlands’ Rabobank draws on outsourced IT “knowledge”
Dutch cooperative Rabobank has increased its outsourcing of banking software development and testing, via a five-year deal with technology specialist Cognizant that the cooperative hopes will provide it with the benefits of stronger technology.
Cameron’s EU speech: a battle of wills
UK Prime Minister David Cameron gave a speech earlier this week in which he promised to hold a referendum on UK membership of the EU by 2018, if he is re-elected. The speech reflects pressures not just in the Conservative party, but fundamental differences in Europe as a whole over how to approach financial markets and the wider economy.
Moscow reforms will “fundamentally change” Russian markets
The upcoming IPO of Russia’s Moscow Exchange on its own bourse is just one step in a titanic effort to transform Russia’s capital markets and attract attention from international investors – and it may not be the most important one, according to Serge Alexandre, electronic trading services at Russian broker Otkritie.
Liquidnet’s Barker takes new role at Russia’s BCS Financial
Former Liquidnet Europe head John Barker is to take up a new role at Russian financial services firm BCS Financial Group, Banking Technology has learned.
MiFID II faces national challenges
Proposals in Germany that would affect the country’s capital market structure could create problems of regulatory arbitrage when the European Commission’s MiFID II arrives in 2015-16, according to Mark Spanbroek, general secretary at the FIA European Principal Traders Association.
French regulator raises temperature of debate in London
A heated argument that erupted between panellists at an event in London yesterday signals deep divides in Europe over the role that financial regulators should take as France and Germany introduce their own national rules.
German HFT proposals earn buy-side support
Market participants have expressed support for controversial new proposals in Germany to control high-frequency trading, including a requirement to obtain a licence or stop trading.
Moscow draws closer as TMX Atrium opens new trading link
Investors looking to trade in Russia can now take advantage of a new high-speed route from Frankfurt to Moscow, built by technology and connectivity provider TMX Atrium. The idea behind the new link is to provide access for clients that need low-latency access to the Russian market, which currently represents the world’s sixth largest economy, […]
Regulators should protect investor choice in the dark – TABB Group
New regulations that will affect how banks run crossing networks for their buy-side clients should avoid constraining investor choice by forcing a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to trading, according to Miranda Mizen, senior consultant at TABB Group.
SK signs with First Data for card processing in Poland
SK Bank, a Polish cooperative bank in Poland, has signed with First Data, which will provide outsourced issuing and payment processing services for SK bank’s debit, credit and prepaid card portfolios.
First Data will also enable the bank to access card payment data on a 24/7 basis. The bank also intends to implement Proactive Risk Manager, a fraud transaction monitoring system provided by First Data.
Singapore Exchange reaches out to Germany
The Singapore Exchange has stepped up its efforts to connect to international market participants, with a deal between itself and German derivatives exchange Eurex that will allow traders in Europe to access the Singapore market more easily.
CME Clearing Europe and Euroclear target OTC derivatives business
Market participants trying to clear OTC derivatives under new European trading rules will soon be able to use a service from CSD Euroclear and clearinghouse CME Clearing Europe that promises to make the job easier.
EU businesses “unprepared” for SEPA, warns survey
Europe’s businesses are unprepared for the arrival of the Single Euro Payments Area in February 2014, with many completely unaware of its consequences, according to new research by IT business services provider Steria.
