Top Stories of 2016: Best of the Sell Side

As 2016 comes to a close, many of the technologies that were talked about in 2015 continued to draw attention. Distributed-ledger technologies and cybersecurity were, once again, top-of-mind for most folks in the industry. 

New forms of innovation, whether it's use cases for machine learning or exchanges implementing speed bumps, were also hotly debated topics. And, as always, regulation earned plenty of headlines as well.

In an effort to give you a complete view of the entire year, we've compiled 10 of our best stories, along with two of our best Waters Wavelength podcasts, all focused on the sell side. So take some time to look around, and enjoy.

The Industry Reacts to Dark Pool Fines

Barclays and Credit Suisse were forced to pay over $150 million in fines due to violations around the operation of their dark pools. WatersTechnology spoke to two analysts and a dark pool operator about what the penalty meant for the industry.

Apple vs. the FBI: A Fight That Could Turn Ugly

The FBI-Apple battle over access into an encrypted iPhone owned by one of the San Bernandino attackers drew national headlines. WatersTechnology spoke to sources in the industry to get perspective on the case from the point of view of the financial services space. 

Industry Reactions to Markit-IHS Merger

Every year seems to bring on a new crop of mergers and acquisitions, and 2016 was no different. However, one of the biggest of the year came in the form of a merger between Markit and IHS, two firms that seemed to have very little overlap. 

An Open-Source Audit: Where Financial Firms Are Turning to Open Source

Financial firms are no stranger to open source, but there has been a significant increase in the use of the technology in recent years. On the back of a feature looking at open source, WatersTechnology talked to three firms about specific projects they were conducting in the open-source space.

What Price Brexit: How Will FinTech Be Affected?

The UK's vote to leave the European Union was one of the biggest stories of the year. From an industry perspective, one of the first questions asked was what kind of impact Brexit could have on London's thriving fintech community. 

Does Blockchain Have a People Problem?

There was arguably no bigger topic in 2016 than distributed-ledger technologies (DLT). But for all the hype DLT receives from firms' senior executives, how keen are the folks in the back office about implementing the new technology when it could eventually put them out of a job?

SigOpt's Machine Learning Looks to Improve Big Banks' Fraud Detection

Interest in use cases around machine learning was on the rise in 2016. One of the first areas where financial firms have been able to demonstrate true value is in fraud detection, as was evident in SigOpt's offering.  

Debate Rages on Over Chicago Stock Exchange's Speed Bump

The SEC's approval of IEX as a national exchange drew plenty of attention in 2016 (more on that later), but that wasn't the only speed bump that made noise. The Chicago Stock Exchange also announced plans to implement a speed bump of its own, to mixed reviews. 

Clock Synchronization for CAT Plan Still Lacking, Sources Say

The Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) took a major step forward this year when its national market system (NMS) plan gained regulatory approval in November. However, while the SEC approved the plan laid out by the self-regulatory organizations (SROs), not everyone in the industry was as supportive. 

Accenture Makes the Case for an Editable Blockchain

One of the biggest issues regarding the practicality of blockchain implementation in financial services is around its immutability. Consultancy Accenture believes it found a way around the finality of the technology. Others feel it's stripping out the core of what makes DLT so special.

Waters Wavelength Podcast Episode 33: IEX's Ronan Ryan

As mentioned above, IEX's approval from the SEC was one of the bigger stories of the year. The exchange's president, Ronan Ryan, chatted with WatersTechnology about gaining regulatory approval and the next steps for IEX. 

Waters Wavelength Podcast Episode 41: BNY Mellon CIO Suresh Kumar 

The head of tech at BNY Mellon talks with WatersTechnology about open source and how to tackle the ongoing streams of regulations.