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Michael Shashoua: Putting Fatca in Perspective
Firms are thinking about the ways and means of complying with the Fatca foreign tax withholding rules, even with incomplete guidance and preparation, as the key July 1 deadline approaches. Michael considers the permutations for ensuing process…
Anthony Malakian: HTML5's Open Access
While HTML5 development still has its limitations, Anthony says that now is the time to make the switch and figure out ways to create hybrid strategies using HTML5 and native development.
April 2014: When It Comes to IBOR, a Stitch in Time ...
IBOR adoption is ramping up on the buy side, but some firms have not made their move, which Victor says could cost them in the long run.
James Rundle: HFT Inquiries Bring a Knife to a Gunfight
The announcement by the New York attorney general that the state would be investigating practices associated with high-frequency trading has caused a stir. But James argues that while it may grab headlines, any such investigation will have the wrong…
Simulation Tools Key as Managed Futures Funds, CTAs Optimize Execution
A potent mixture of in-house, futures commission merchant, and boutique brokerage-provided algorithms now play a part in commodity trading advisors’ and managed futures funds’ trading activities. Tim Bourgaize Murray examines why a new cadre of…
Challenge Accepté: AXA Investment Managers CIO Hervé Morel-Derocle
During one of his frequent trips to London, AXA Investment Managers CIO Hervé Morel-Derocle spoke to Marina Daras about the bold moves he made when faced with the looming obsolescence of the firm’s desktops.
The Rise and Rise of HTML5
Thanks to enhanced browser functionality and an explosion of open-source tools, HTML5 is supplanting Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe Flash as the go-to language for trading application development and mobile functionality. While roadblocks still exist,…
Herd Instinct: Financial Firms Combat Information Overload with Social Networking Tech
As financial firms deal with ever-increasing levels of information, some are starting to look at a fusion of different technologies to harness true value from the noise. As innovative uses of concepts that have traditionally been associated with social…
BMO Launches an IBOR
A merger of three investment managers had just been announced when BMO Global Asset Management made the decision to revamp its portfolio accounting procedures. What followed was a near three-year project that made the company the proud owner of an IBOR,…
KKR's Colorful Personality: CIO Ed Brandman
Ed Brandman’s friendly quirks don’t conjure the conventional image of an IT chief, especially at KKR, one of the more white-shoe firms in a space famous for them. But don’t let the CIO’s charms fool you. He effectively redefined enterprise-grade…
James Rundle: The Big Whimper
While derivatives markets have seen huge transformations in both the US and Europe this month, James says they haven’t brought about the Big Bang effect that many predicted.
Anthony Malakian: The Power of the Investor
Anthony says that while new reporting guidelines and technologies will help firms to make the business case to move away from spreadsheets in favor of automated systems, investors will hold the most sway in making this a reality.
Michael Shashoua: Steadying Data Flows
Data management professionals will need to achieve smooth input and output to make investment books of record into useful systems for their firms. And, Michael explains, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation rules implementation is raising…
Max Bowie: Lights, Camera, Data!
With movies about corporate espionage and greedy tycoons—from the high-flying The Wolf of Wall Street to the grimy Boiler Room—always popular, the average person’s understanding of market data and trading technologies comes from the big screen, not the…
March 2014: Breaking the Habit
Microsoft Excel as an operational tool is as flawed as it is ubiquitous on Wall Street—even the regulators are guilty of over-reliance on spreadsheets—but Victor says cutting back on its use in favor of automated processes can mean serious long-term…
Take Away Spreadsheets? From My Cold, Dead Hands
Microsoft Excel spreadsheets will continue to be widely used at asset management firms for the foreseeable future. But new regulations, technological advancements, and risk management concerns are leading buy-side firms to examine ways to lessen their…
All Eyes on Outsourcing
After UBS announced last month that it would outsource most of its fixed-income trading platform to Murex and Ion Trading, Marina Daras looks at how financial services firms intend to manage their IT costs by reassessing their outsourcing options.
Real-Time Risk: Keeping It Real
Pitches for real-time risk solutions focus more on the sell side than the buy side. Jake Thomases set out to determine how much hedge funds and asset managers care about calculating risk in the blink of an eye. Some do, but it’s largely dependent on…
Europe Takes First Steps Toward Electronic Derivatives Trading
With provisional agreement on the Mifid II text by European political authorities, electronic execution of derivatives is set to spread over the Atlantic Ocean in the near future. In terms of equivalence, interoperability, and mutual recognition, how…
Kotch's Confidence: CTO Mary Kotch Balances Family with AIG's Rebuild
AIG CTO Mary Kotch sits down with Anthony Malakian to discuss her ascent up the technology ladder to her current position, and how she manages to find a work–life balance while helping the insurance giant to restore its brand post-2008. Photos by Amy…
James Rundle: There and Back Again
In January, European political authorities provisionally agreed on a package of reforms to securities markets that will have deep consequences for financial services firms. As the technical work can now get underway, James looks at the challenges ahead…
Anthony Malakian: Learning Lessons
Anthony’s dad taught him a lesson from his own career: Sometimes great ideas come from unexpected places. It’s good, therefore, to always listen and be open to new ideas.
Nicholas Hamilton: Surprise, Surprise
The nominations for the board of directors of the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation include some surprises and clues about the form the Central Operating Unit might take, writes Nicholas Hamilton.
Max Bowie: This Valentine’s Day, Why Not … Break Up?
Any recipe for success involves a combination of ingredients. But sometimes recipes taste better when a few toxic ingredients are removed. And with everyone looking to be disruptive in 2014, Max notes that you don’t make a disruption omelet without…