Waters - Q1 2023
Articles in this issue
DTCC’s blockchain for CDS trades finds no takers
Sources say the industry is not yet ready to fully adopt wide-scale implementations of distributed-ledger technologies.
SEC’s $5M Bloomberg BVAL fine targets ‘dark magic’ in fixed income pricing
Recent actions against Bloomberg and Ice for violations relating to evaluated pricing services suggest the US regulator may be setting the stage for stricter regulations to govern the sector.
Citadel Securities, Jane Street battle fixed-income connectivity challenges with MultiLynq buy-in
Increased electronification of fixed income markets requires more connectivity, which entails greater costs for firms to connect to a growing list of trading venues.
Index fees fatigue: Regulators, startups move in on the big 3 providers’ $5 billion business
Users of index data often complain about the fees they have to fork out, particularly to the likes of S&P, FTSE Russell, and MSCI. WatersTechnology examines the state of the industry and what will disrupt the status quo.
Waters Wrap: The DTCC, Cusip and questions of a monopoly
While the companies that oversee Cusips find themselves embroiled in a lawsuit, Anthony questions where the DTCC stands in this unfolding drama.
Hacked off: banks demand answers after Ion cyber attack
Clients have been left in the dark about the ransomware attack that disrupted futures trading last month.
S&P buys ChartIQ to bolster charting, analytics capabilities
ChartIQ’s former owner, Finsemble, will continue to focus on building out its desktop integration business.
After slow start, the ‘Big 3’ fixed-income consortium taps Finbourne as partner for CT bid
The Bloomberg, Tradeweb and MarketAxess consortium switched out its advisory firms at the end of last year to jumpstart its bid for the tape.
Market data consumers buy the same products at massively different price points
A new study finds that asset managers are paying several times more than their peers for the same services—but why? And can it be fixed? Does it need to be?
Large language models: Another AI wave has come—what could it bring?
Since the release of ChatGPT, excitement and hype have been abundant across industries for this form of generative AI. For capital markets, the wave of innovation that could result may be a few years away but it’s worth paying attention to—and being…
Hurry up and wait: EU debates potential models for ‘essential’ consolidated tape
As the legislative debate surrounding a future European consolidated tape for equities takes on increased urgency, market participants and interested parties are beginning to weigh in with their visions of a successful tape.
Smashing barriers: How shortwave frequencies are making trading firms faster
Improvements in shortwave radio frequencies could be a leap forward in the latency race. But given the costs and technical challenges, is it worth the investment?
After Xignite buy, ex-SunGard execs eye hedge funds, international markets for Quodd
Quodd’s recent acquisition of API data vendor Xignite will provide a springboard to launch the data vendor into new customer segments and markets.
Putting a price on your head (of data): The ROI of a CDO
The chief data officer has become recognized as a key role in a financial firm’s ability to manage its data assets, and reduce costs and risk. So why is it also so notoriously short-lived?
Waters Wrap: For data managers, the new problems are the same as the old
While much attention has been given to cloud, AI, blockchain and other buzzwords, without a proper data foundation, those tools will not deliver the results that have been promised.
Defendants in Cusip suit make their case for dismissal
Cusip Global Services and its affiliates have filed a joint motion to dismiss the anti-trust class-action lawsuit.
New chatbots reveal limitations of legacy API development
As large language models that underpin the likes of ChatGPT and Bard come to market, vendors and trading firms are starting to see the benefits—and challenges—that open APIs provide.
A rough race begins: Industry faces uphill transition to T+1 settlement
With T+1 compliance set to begin next May, firms will likely be burdened by reduced IT budgets, existing legacy systems and manual processes over the next 15 months. So, while faster settlement will help innovate the middle and back office, some argue…
BNY Mellon deploys new AI, cloud tools
The custodian bank has reduced payment processing times by as much as 80%, according to officials.
Spreadsheet interoperability: Or how companies learned to stop worrying and love Excel
While Microsoft engages in a tech arms race for chatbot and cloud supremacy, interop firms are attempting to remedy some of the idiosyncrasies of its monolithic spreadsheet software.