Posts by Anna Reitman

A recent academic paper showed how deep neural networks can be applied to derivative pricing problems, and in a way that appeases regulatory concerns about the use of such advanced…

Get the weekly SFM update – our April 26 newsletter is online

April 26, 2019

Headlines: In five years, 90% of funding will be done by machines; Finadium: Total Return Futures, Total Return Swaps and the Repo Market; Korea lets a blockchain seclending platform into…

SocGen’s covered bond unit does first issue on Ethereum

April 25, 2019

blockchain, covered bonds, DLT, Ethereum, Societe Generale

Societe Generale SFH, the covered bond vehicle of Societe Generale, issued a €100 million covered bond as a security token on the public blockchain, Ethereum. OFH Tokens have been rated…

Singapore prepares finance workers for age of data analytics and automation

April 25, 2019

automation, data analytics, Insitute of Banking and Finance Singapore, MAS, Singapore

A study commissioned by the Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore (IBF) and the island city-state’s central bank, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), has set out how data analytics…

Deutsche Börse’s data unit launches derivatives flow analysis product

April 25, 2019

data analytics, Deutsche Borse, Eurex

Deutsche Börse Data Services has launched a new data product, Eurex Flow Insight, which provides a daily analysis of order flow by trading account type, such as agent, market maker…

Financial ML further advanced than expected, N. America and buy-side lead

April 23, 2019

Artificial Intelligence, Technology

alternative data, buy-side, machine learning, Refinitiv

A survey from Refinitiv asked buy- and sell-side firms across North America, Europe and Asia about their levels of machine learning use and deployment. Refinitiv is the former financial risk…

LEX: “Crypto Nation” Switzerland moves forward fast on DLT legislation

April 22, 2019

crypto regulation, DLT, Switzerland

Switzerland is moving forward fast as the government proposes DLT-uncertificated rights with securities nature, wrote authors Alexander Vogel and Reto Luthiger from Switzerland-based international law firm Meyerlustenberger Lachenal. Switzerland’s Federal…

Santander, J.P. Morgan among members of Ethereum standards group building “token taxonomy” initiative

April 22, 2019

News and Notes – Fintech, Uncategorized

Banco Santander, blockchain, Digital Asset, Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, J.P. Morgan, tokens

The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) announced the formation of the blockchain-neutral Token Taxonomy Initiative (TTI), which addresses the need to universally define tokens to better understand how their use and…

FT: J.P. Morgan opens IIN blockchain platform to payments and fintechs

April 22, 2019

blockchain, fintech, Interbank Information Network, J.P. Morgan, settlement

J.P. Morgan is to widen the use of the industry’s leading blockchain technology to help smooth the banking industry’s payment system while also inviting fintechs to experiment on how to…

Canadian and UK regulators to cooperate on fintech sandbox

April 22, 2019

CSA, FCA, fintech

The securities regulatory authorities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Québec and Saskatchewan (participating jurisdictions) today announced a co-operation agreement with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).…

How crypto markets are evolving for quants and market makers (Premium)

April 20, 2019

Blockchain, Technology

crypto derivatives, crypto exchanges, crypto regulation, cryptocurrencies, Eduard Silantyev, market makers, Thalesians

A recently published research paper, Order flow analysis of cryptocurrency markets, caught our attention. The paper’s author, Eduard Silantyev, examined trade and quote data of the XBT/USD perpetual derivatives contract on…

NIST: vetting the security of mobile applications

April 19, 2019

cybersecurity, mobile apps, NIST

The Computer Security Resource Center at NIST [National Institute of Standards and Technology] have released an important update to guidance on mobile application vetting and security. The revision explores resources…

Mosaic: data needs to go from big chaos to smart profit in FICC

April 19, 2019

data management, Mosaic

Disorganized data adds no value to a FICC business, indeed – as in the case of regulatory data compliance or client relationship development – it may even have an actively…

FCA considers fintech regulation, increases use of advanced analytics

April 19, 2019

advanced analytics, Data, FCA, regtech

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its business plan for 2019/20, which outlines the key priorities for the coming year. While Brexit transitioning remains a major focus, there are also…

Get the weekly SFM update – our April 19 newsletter is online

April 19, 2019

Headlines: Canadian banks in the global prime brokerage market; Three ways to read the ENSO Data Insights launch (Premium); For SFTs, is there information value in RTS 28 reports? (Premium);…

Eurekahedge: AI/ML funds flat, crypto funds outperforming bitcoin

April 17, 2019

artificial intelligence, crypto fund, cryptocurrencies, Eurekahedge, hedge funds, machine learning

Fund managers using AI/machine learning strategies gained 2.59% in March, bringing their year-to-date returns to 3.93%. Quant strategies continued to fall out of investors’ favor, with the CTA/managed futures mandate…

Liquidnet launches intelligent multi-order execution solution

April 17, 2019

Best Execution, buy-side, Liquidnet

Liquidnet announced the launch of Ecosystem Pro, an intelligent workflow and blotter management tool designed to help buy-side traders analyze, monitor, and automate execution strategies across multiple symbols simultaneously in…

Financial services tops list for “bad bot” attacks

April 17, 2019

While it’s well known that bots were used to exploit social media sites in an attempt to influence political dialogue and elections, the real motivation behind the majority of bad…

What was said about crypto, blockchain and trust at IMF’s spring meeting

April 16, 2019

Blockchain, Technology

Benoît Cœuré, blockchain, Central Banks, Circle, crypto regulation, cryptoassets, ECB, IMF, J.P. Morgan, Kenya

In the digital currency world, there’s a phrase: “In crypto we trust”. And while IMF chief Christine Lagarde raised an eyebrow at the statement during a panel at the IMF’s…

France’s Le Maire: blockchain a competitive freedom in monopolistic world

April 16, 2019

blockchain, Bruno Le Maire, France

France will push for the European Union to adopt a regulatory framework on cryptocurrencies similar to the one France brought in at a national level, the country’s finance minister Bruno…

Conference notes: tech advances in data privacy for financial services (Premium)

April 16, 2019

Big Data, Technology

cloud technology, data regulation, GDPR, Google Cloud, HSBC, Open Banking, Privitar, PSD2

The technology of privacy is breaking ground at a steady pace as industries seek to navigate the brave new world of data. We highlight some of the key developments in…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships round-up

FS: Australia blockchain investor TCM acquires controlling stake in US fund Australian digital assets investment firm TCM Global Asset Management (formerly Token Capital Management) is making its first international foray.…

Linedata survey finds asset managers seek data ‘quick wins’ as performance fears persist

April 15, 2019

News and Notes – Fintech, Uncategorized

asset managers, data management, IT, Linedata

The results of Linedata’s ninth Global Asset Management Survey reveal a desire to capitalize on quick wins from data analytics and digitization to protect investment and operational performance against the…

Hong Kong regulator expects asset managers to disclose more on green/ESG investments

April 15, 2019

asset managers, ESG, Hong Kong SFC

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) today issued a circular to provide guidance to management companies of SFC-authorized unit trusts and mutual funds on enhanced disclosures for SFC-authorized green…

Applying deep neural networks to derivative pricing problems

April 14, 2019

deep neural networks, derivatives, Ecole Polytechnique, ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, machine learning, risk models, volatility

In an academic paper, Blanka Horvath from the Department of Mathematics at ETH Zurich, Aitor Muguruza from Imperial College London and Mehdi Tomas from Ecole Polytechnique present a consistent neural…

ICMA: where is my blockchain bond?

April 12, 2019

blockchain, crypto regulation, fintech regulation, ICMA

On its dedicated fintech site, ICMA provides a listing of new fintech applications in bond markets, most of which are based on distributed ledger technology. Over the last two years,…

CFO survey shows automation and analytics tops investment priorities

April 12, 2019

artificial intelligence, CFOs, data analytics, Grant Thornton, Intelligent Automation, machine learning, OCR, RPA

Because finance leaders face a burgeoning list of emerging technologies, Grant Thornton set out to understand the top priorities that are shaping their digital strategies. Its 2019 CFO survey revealed…

Synced: quantum-enhanced feature space for ML

April 12, 2019

Big Data, machine learning, Quantum Computing

Kernel methods for machine learning are widely used in pattern recognition and classification tasks. However, when a feature space becomes too large, computation of the kernel function becomes prohibitively expensive…

FT: Goldman Sachs eyes tech and data analytics to “fix” fixed income

April 11, 2019

FICC, Goldman Sachs, Marquee

FICC’s (fixed income, commodities and currencies) contribution to Goldman’s group-wide revenue peaked at just over 52%, or $23.3 billion, in 2009. Last year, FICC generated $5.9 billion of revenues, as…

3 years after Bangladesh cyberattack, SWIFT considers evolving threat

April 11, 2019

cybersecurity, Swift

SWIFT published a new cyber report, Three years on from Bangladesh: tackling the adversaries, providing new insights into the evolving nature of the cyber threats facing the global financial community.…

AcadiaSoft updates on collateral and margin automation at ISDA’s 34th annual

April 11, 2019

AcadiaSoft, automation, collateral management, margin management

AcadiaSoft, an industry provider of margin automation solutions for counterparties engaged in collateral management worldwide, announced a number of industry milestones that have been achieved via its services through Q1…

IHS Markit: AI in banking to reach $300bn by 2030 globally, millions of jobs impacted

April 11, 2019

artificial intelligence, banks, IHS Markit

In 2018 AI in banking business was estimated to be $41.1 billion, which includes the cost savings and efficiencies of introducing AI technology compared to keeping existing infrastructures and processes.…

Bitstamp gets virtual currency license from NY regulator

April 9, 2019

Bitstamp, cryptocurrencies, NY DFS

The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) has approved the application by the US subsidiary of bitcoing exchange Bitstamp for a virtual currency license. Since 2015, DFS has…

UBS: big bank blockchain exposes competitive tech gap

April 9, 2019

Blockchain, Technology

banks, blockchain, UBS, UBS Evidence Lab

A recent UBS Evidence Lab survey found a predictably yawning gap between big and small banks: larger banks are getting a competitive advantage from emerging tech, are more likely to…

What FSB highlights for tech risk at G20

April 9, 2019

cryptoassets, cybersecurity, FSB, G20

Ahead of this week’s G20 meeting, FSB Chair Randal Quarles highlighted key issues to finance ministers and central bank governors in a letter. Among them was addressing new and emerging…

Reuters: China says it wants to eliminate bitcoin mining

April 9, 2019

bitcoin, China, crypto regulation

China’s state planner wants to ban bitcoin mining, according to a draft list of industrial activities the agency is seeking to stop in a sign of growing government pressure on…

Fintech weekly deals and partnerships round-up

Torstone acquires cloud compliance tech company Torstone Technology, a provider of post-trade securities and derivatives processing technology, has announced that it’s agreed to acquire Percentile, a provider of real-time, cloud-based…

ISDA and UCL researchers examine smart derivatives contracts

April 8, 2019

derivatives, ISDA, smart contracts, UCL

High-value derivatives contracts require substantial legal protection and often utilize standardized legal documentation provided by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA). Smart Derivatives Contracts aim to automate many aspects…

SEC releases framework to determine if digital asset is investment contract

April 8, 2019

crypto regulation, digital assets, Securities and Exchange Commission

In this guidance, US regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission provides a framework for analyzing whether a digital asset is an investment contract and whether offers and sales of a…

BT: Africa regulates blockchain and cryptocurrency

April 8, 2019

Africa, blockchain, crypto regulation

African governments are divided in their opinion on the use of blockchain and cryptocurrency. According to reports, Zimbabwe and Zambia started with a hard stance while Mauritius created a regulatory…

European Commission demands ethical guidelines in pursuit of digital single market

April 8, 2019

ethical AI, European Commission

Building on the work of the group of independent experts, the European Commission is launching a pilot phase to ensure that the ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI) development and…

Conference notes: RPA and AI in finance (Premium)

April 8, 2019

Artificial Intelligence, Technology

AI, Marcus Evans, RPA

If there’s one quote that sums up what financial institutions are facing in the technological age, it might be that “digital innovation and AI transformation is like eating glass.” It’s…

BIS research: bigtech and the changing structure of financial intermediation

April 8, 2019

News and Notes, News and Notes – Fintech

Bank for International Settlements, bigtech, credit, data analysis, fintech, machine learning, Mercado Libre

In a BIS working paper, researchers from the Financial Stability Board, Bank for International Settlements, Graduate Institute (Geneva) and Argentina’s bigtech firm Mercado Libre consider the drivers and implications of…

i-HLS: NIST tackles evolving quantum computing threat

April 7, 2019

cybersecurity, NIST, Quantum Computing

The advanced computing capabilities of quantum computers will render most traditional encryption protocols used today obsolete. The US government is already preparing contingencies for how to defend its current IT…

FSB publishes cryptoasset regulators directory

April 6, 2019

crypto regulation, cryptoassets, FSB

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) published a cryptoassets regulators directory. The purpose of the directory is to provide information on the relevant regulators and other authorities in FSB jurisdictions and…

FT: Tradeweb IPO delivers $1bn bounty for Wall Street

April 5, 2019

News and Notes, News and Notes – Fintech

electronification, IPO, Tradeweb

Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Barclays are among the Wall Street banks sharing in a $1.1 billion bounty after Tradeweb Markets, the fixed-income and derivatives platform, made a strong debut on…

Get the weekly SFM update – our April 5 newsletter is online

April 5, 2019

Headlines: Thursday news roundup: SOFR end of March, Modern Monetary Theory, Brexit liquidity risk (Premium); Finadium securities lending conference in NYC May 2-3 spotlights asset manager, hedge fund, bank and…

APAC banks lag global peers in modernizing risk processes and data use

April 4, 2019

News and Notes – Fintech, Uncategorized

APAC, Asia Risk, data analysis, ICICI Bank, Oracle

Less than a third of banking executives in Asia Pacific (APAC) are equipped to handle the changing regulatory landscape compared to 46% of their peers in North America and Europe,…

Fintech tops favored sector in record $185bn VC funding year

April 4, 2019

Hampleton Partners, Venture capital

Hampleton Partners’ analysis of growth capital reveals that 2018 marked another record year for global venture capital financing, with a total disclosed value of $185 billion raised across more than…

ANNA and GLEIF announce go-live date on ISIN LEI initiative

April 4, 2019

ANNA, GLEIF, LEIs