Banks back Swift KYC Registry initiative
A group of major international banks have agreed to jointly develop and use the centralised Know Your Customer Registry announced by Swift at the start of the year.
BankingTech
Ex-HSBC CIO takes chairman role at CLS as Hartsink steps down
Ken Harvey, the erstwhile HSBC group chief technology and services officer and group chief information officer, is to become chairman of CLS Group Holdings and CLS Bank International, succeeding Gerard Hartsink who will retire in October.
“Technology tail wagging the strategy dog” in retail banking says Celent
Bitcoin, gamification and Personal Financial Management are “generating more heat than light” in debates about the future of retail banking and banks should not be distracted from other major challenges including digital channels and legacy transformation.
March 2014 Pain Point: addressing the legacy issue
While established banks struggle with their legacy systems, smaller players and new entrants are quickly adopting new technologies and reaping the benefits.
LEI update: hidden costs prevent enthusiastic take-up
Until the world has a definitive Legal Entity Identifier, we are going to have to recognise that piecemeal adoption brings with it significant hidden costs in validating, enriching and mapping for regulatory purposes. If the total number of registered market participants is meant to include all the corporates that trade FX forwards, we are far short.
Swift speeds client onboarding with standards testing service
Swift has announced the availability of a cloud-based application designed to eases the client onboarding process between financial institutions and their clients. First outlined at the Sibos 2012 event in Osaka, the MyStandards Readiness Portal, is backed by some big names in the business – HSBC, Citi and Clearstream spoke at a Standards Forum session […]
MasterCard and Syniverse launch “not just another” mobile payment service
MasterCard has partnered with mobile technology specialist Syniverse under an audacious plan that aims at nothing less than “bringing mobile financial services to every single mobile user on the planet”.
Raincoats, taxis and the future of banking
What do taxis, the weather, mobile wallets and raincoats have in common? They are all potential variables in determining a person’s daily spend – and they provide a great opportunity for banks to use data to save customers money, according to Aman Narain, global head of digital banking Singapore at Standard Chartered.
Trade Reporting: over the first hurdle
The deadline for trade reporting mandated by the European Market Infrastructure Regulation is 12 February, and many institutions are working hard to meet it. In this webinar, Banking Technology and the DTCC will be discussing how the industry managed the transition and what challenges remain.
Predicting the future in financial services
As data volumes continue to grow, being able to make greater use of the information enhances competitive advantage. The financial services industry is taking steps towards using predictive analytics technology to do just that.
It’s 2014 … time to change the way you think about payments
Ten years ago business-to-business payment options were pretty limited: cheques dominated, and organisations only had the option of 3-day BACS payments or expensive CHAPS transactions for high value, same day payments.
FIX publishes guidelines for equities TCA
Industry standards organisation the FIX Trading Community has published its guidelines for transaction cost analysis in equities, which it says will help to create a better market by clearing up the competing methodologies and definitions that are currently in use.
Celent sees strong global growth in bank IT spending
Global IT spending by banks will grow 4.4% to $188.0 billion this year, and will continue to do so for the next few years, according to research firm Celent.
IND acquisition opens chink in competitors’ armour for Misys
The acquisition of digital banking specialist IND Group will give Misys access to parts of its rivals’ customer base that it intends to exploit as it develops its offerings in the digital banking channel, while the closer integration of the IND capabilities will also shore up Misys’ defences against encroachment of its own ageing user base.
February 2014 SEPA: a two-way stretch
A nominal six-month delay in the need to migrate to SEPA-compatible formats hasn’t slowed down the rush to convert clients
Futures algos come of age
Long-only institutional investors are increasingly turning towards advanced futures trading strategies that have previously been the preserve of hedge funds and proprietary trading shops, according to a new report published by Tabb Group and Fidessa.
Estimating Libor damage past – automating index surveillance future
In the wake of scandals involving manipulation of market indices, can statistical learning theory be used to detect and fix anomalies in Libor and other market indices?
Instinet algo will ‘Make’ large orders viable
Broker Instinet has released Make, a new algorithm which it says will help traders to shift large orders more cautiously without disturbing the market.
Bloomberg adds Onetick CEP engine to Professional service
Bloomberg’s execution management system has begun using a complex event processing engine from tick data and analytics specialist OneMarketData to support its intra-day trading analytics.
FIX adopts Market Model Typology as post-trade reporting standard
The Market Model Typology post-trade reporting standard has been adopted as a standard by the FIX Trading Community and is now available for adoption by all market participants, bringing the possibility of a European consolidated post-trade tape a step closer.
ISDA begins radical overhaul of ISDAFIX swap rates
The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has set a date for the first stage of sweeping changes to the ISDAFIX benchmark for annual swap rates, as part of a major global push to clean up rates and make them more accountable.
ITRS adds Murex capability to monitoring system
Trading system monitoring specialist ITRS Group has added a module to its Geneos system for the Murex cross-asset trading and risk management platform.
How many sides can you put on a coin?
There are two sides to every coin, but with Bitcoin those sides simply could not be farther apart. Its promise is extraordinary: for those afraid of inflation, it is gold redux, while for those who hate exchange rates, it is a way to pay internationally. For merchants it is a way of avoiding high transaction fees and for former Presidential hopeful Ron Paul, it is the destruction of the US Dollar.
Virtual currency Ven takes on Bitcoin
A digital currency called Ven is poised to give alternative currency poster child Bitcoin a run for its virtual money.
“Unbanked banks” suffer from tougher KYC rules
Senior transaction banking executives have called for a political discussion to resolve the issue of emerging market access to banking services caused by the reduction of the correspondent banking services network.
Growth under threat from new Basel III, EMIR, Dodd-Frank regs
Regulation is driving a structural shift away from capital markets and investment banking towards transaction banking – but even this hint of opportunity could be under threat, according to senior financial services panellists speaking at the BAFT IFSA conference in London this week.
Getting personal: banks must brace for change
Major global banks need to grasp social networks, cloud computing, user-generated content, personalisation, contextual information and gamification if they are to maintain a competitive edge and stay connected with customers. But they also need to ensure their innovations are transmitted thoroughly to all employees, according to panellists at the BAFT IFSA conference in London on Monday.
Capital markets on a firmer footing for 2014
Following the tumultuous change that came in the wake of the subprime crisis, capital markets firms have yet to regain a strong foothold but 2014 is showing increasing evidence of a shift to a higher gear.
HSBC targets online commerce with FX conversion for retailers
HSBC has rolled out a service that will allow online retailers to give customers the choice to pay in various international currencies.
Swift boosts collaboration push with Financial Crime Compliance unit
Swift has created a dedicated Financial Compliance Services unit to manage a growing number of service offerings. The new unit will focus initially on the development of a Know Your Customer Registry planned for launch later this year as well as the integration and development of existing services.
More mobile please – but make it relevant
The likes and dislikes of mobile banking customers around the world suggest that there is an opportunity to expand mobile services globally – but providers need to be careful they are targeting the right information to the right people, according to a new survey by analytics firm FICO.
Bank of America goes with Earthport for global low-value payments
Bank of America Merrill Lynch has signed a multi-year agreement with Earthport to “significantly expand Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s low value clearing capabilities globally, and to advance the efficiency of its high volume, low value payments”.
The hardware guy: how Bank of America is building a new infrastructure
Bank of America is working with Facebook’s Open Compute project on a radical revamp of its systems. David Reilly, head of its Technology Infrastructure unit, tells Banking Technology why Software Defined.Infrastructures are the way ahead.
The gift of plug and play technology
The technology that banks offer clients can be thought of as a true gift, enabling improvements that can reduce risk, increase efficiency and ultimately put firms on a surer footing. And it is the most advanced and newest platforms which grab everyone’s attention.
Global exchanges get together to address cyber threat
The World Federation of Exchanges has set up a Cyber Security Working Group with a “mission to aid in the protection of the global capital markets” in the wake of a number of attacks on international exchanges over the past few years.
Bitcoin boom prompts banking dilemma
Bitcoin is more traceable but less regulated, less expensive but more volatile, and more decentralised but less accountable, than a regular currency. Feeling confused? That’s not the half of it, according to Ernst & Young.
Manpower sees growth in UK financial sector jobs
According to Manpower, one of the largest personnel firms worldwide, job prospects in the UK finance sector “look strong heading into 2014 with a Net Employment Outlook of +10%”.
Caplin targets regional banks with FX platform as a service
Smaller regional banks may want a single-dealer FX platform; unfortunately, they’re not cheap, so UK technology company Caplin Systems is targeting regional banks that want a single-dealer FX platform without building it themselves.
Locks on the door “aren’t enough” to fight financial crime says Fiserv
Financial crime specialist Fiserv has just launched its Financial Crime Risk Management platform, which aims to help financial institutions to ward off financial crime and slash their risk.
BIAN adds first Middle East member
The Banking Industry Architecture Network has gained its first member in the Middle East with the addition of Commercial Bank of Qatar to its roster.
