The European Union (EU) Securities Financing Transaction Regulation (SFTR) is part of Europe’s continuing clampdown on potential risks in the banking & financial services sectors. Scheduled for introduction in Q3 2019, it requires firms to report details of their Securities Financing Transactions (SFT’s) to trade repositories. This includes a range of instruments including; Repos, Securities and Commodities Lending, Buy/Sell Backs, Margin Lending and Total Return Swaps.
The 2018 Payment Services Directive (PSD2) opens up payments markets to new, radical service providers in an aim to create a cheaper, more efficient European payments market. It provides new opportunities for third parties to access banks’ internal data in real-time to improve customer service.
As the data publishing season for best execution begins, it is timely to look at what is required, and what will be required going forward.
Eurobase has just given me a reusable coffee/tea mug in support of World Environment Day. This should arrest the use of plastic in the office and help our seas and oceans, albeit in a very small way, but every little helps! Cycling into work, I heard on the radio about the tremendous amount inspired teachers do to educate our children on environmental matters. I can personally attest to the “nag factor” our teenagers bring to correct the ways of their elders! Overall, it is about doing the “right thing”.
Following the release of the new Banking collateral, our Director of Business Consulting reflected on the development of siena in the context of the market defining events over the past 25 years or so. From the early days of the expansion of computing power through the electronification of trading and the dot com bubble to the Financial Crisis. David Woolcock reflects on how these momentous events have shaped our product development. At the end of the article is the challenge of what lies ahead in the next phase of continual enhancement and improvement of our flagship treasury solution.
In my last blog The week that was the MiFID II deadline I highlighted the issue with LEI’s. This time it seems it is the turn of ISINs that are causing some turbulence below the surface of what otherwise has been a great industry effort to get the good ship (MiFID II) launched and implemented without any sharp squalls driving us onto the rocks.
So the 3rd of January came to pass and the City was not plunged into meltdown by the implementation of MiFID II/MiFIR. Some confusion reigned due to the late announcement of 6-month smoothing exercise to the implementation of LEI’s. The summary statement was –
T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the bank,
Treasury Managers were wondering who they should thank,
For the upcoming challenges they were due to face,
And new regulation they have to embrace.
In conversation with clients, one topic that comes up time and again is PSD2. When I ask "So, what are you doing on PSD2" there are broadly two responses, "We have it under control" or "We have a team looking at it" swiftly followed by “it can't be much different to PSD". Can it? The answer is quite simply Yes! How much different PSD2 is to PSD is another story altogether and something that deserves a little more time.
Halloween got me thinking as to what demons the European markets might expect on a spooky night like tonight. What could come knocking at our doors and will they be a trick or a treat?
