A-Team Insight Brief
Push Technology Introduces New Functionality to Diffusion
Data streaming and messaging solutions provider Push Technology, has released version 6.7 of its Diffusion Intelligent Event-Data Platform, which introduces a new personalised client data delivery capability. Diffusion consumes, enriches, and delivers data among applications, systems, and devices. The latest version adds session trees to the data wrangling capabilities, enabling users to tailor applications to meet security, optimisation, personalisation, and localisation requirements specific to a client or group of clients. Also new is a CDC Adapter, allowing connecting to a wider range of data sources with real-time streaming, and Topic Views for enhanced data transformation.
HDFC Bank Gears Up for Transition to Risk-Free Rates with Bloomberg’s Multi-Asset Risk System
India’s HDFC Bank has adopted Bloomberg’s Multi-Asset Risk System (MARS) as part of its preparations for the transition to risk-free rates (RFRs). HDFC Bank will integrate the Bloomberg MARS Front Office and MARS Valuations solutions to calculate interest using the new ‘One Day effective rate’ and pass on entries into its core banking system, enabling transition to the new RFR regime as the December 2021 deadline for the discontinuation of LIBOR approaches. The implementation will allow HDFC Bank to address operational challenges with tools that are adapted to the new alternative rates, taking into account local jurisdictions, overnight rates, and a combination of holiday calendars and new conventions of lookback and observation shifts.
Equiduct Implements big xyt Liquidity Cockpit for Data Analytics
Equiduct, a European trading venue for equities and ETFs, has implemented Liquidity Cockpit, the flagship product for security analytics from data and analytics solutions provider big xyt, to provide independent data analytics to enhance the exchange’s market quality and performance reporting. Liquidity Cockpit will be used to gain new insights into the pan-European liquidity landscape and the quality of execution achieved via Equiduct’s Apex service, by providing an independent, consolidated view of trading activity to reflect the ongoing changes of market structure, along with an additional nine customised metrics. The project implementation enables Equiduct to showcase its market model and liquidity, and to monitor the performance of the market.
ICE Adds Weather Forecast Data to Connect Platform
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has extended provision of ESG data with the release of weather forecast data on its ICE Connect platform. ICE Connect users can connect streaming weather data to streaming tick information, making it easier to see how changing weather forecasts influence live market prices. All weather forecasts are archived and weather observations extend back 40 years for all forecast variables across locations. The factors include temperature, precipitation, visibility, wind and solar radiation, all of which have potential to influence the price of energy, agriculture and other weather-sensitive instruments.
SimCorp Adds Qontigo Portfolio Optimisation to Open Platform
SimCorp has partnered Qontigo, a provider of analytics and indices and part of the Deutsche Börse Group, to offer its clients a fully managed portfolio optimisation, risk management and modelling service within SimCorp Dimension. The partnership is one of many SimCorp is making to complement its own front office suite with a choice of tools for alpha generation and decision making. It is also part of SimCorp’s Open Platform that hosts numerous solutions and offers managed integration and connectivity services.
SIX Digital Exchange Receives FINMA Regulatory Approval
Swiss exchange operator’s new SIX Digital Exchange (SDX), billed as the world’s first regulated digital market infrastructure, has received formal approval from FINMA, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, to operate a stock exchange and a central securities depository for digital assets in Switzerland. The FINMA authorisation will allow SDX to go live with a fully regulated, integrated trading, settlement, and custody infrastructure for digital securities, based on distributed ledger technology. This regulatory approval is the latest milestone in SDX’s plans to create a global liquidity network for digital assets for banks, issuers, insurance firms, institutional investors and other global and financial players.
Overbond Launches AI-Driven Fixed Income Model for Rich-Cheap Analysis
Fixed-income solutions vendor Overbond has launched an AI-driven rich-cheap model to its suite of fixed income analytics, designed to provide buy-side fixed income desks with a quantitative method for extracting alpha, by screening for mispriced fixed income securities. Combining both static and dynamic analysis of multiple factors with AI, Overbond’s rich-cheap model utilises mean-reversion valuation, designed to pre-identify bonds as rich ‘sell’ and cheap ‘purchase’ candidates, based on proprietary Overbond valuation metrics and AI non-linear optimization. The rich-cheap model is offered as an add-on to Overbond’s COBI-Pricing LIVE, which covers fixed income prices, liquidity scores and trading recommendations.
Fluent Trade Strengthens NAB’s Global FX Trading Capabilities
National Australia Bank has expanded its use of Fluent Trade Technologies’ multi-asset trading platform, strengthening and broadening its end-to-end global FX trading capabilities to deliver an ultra-low latency trading platform to its customers worldwide. The project has helped the bank to extend its market access, improve response times and increase fill ratios significantly. Fluent Trade says this means the bank can now price a wider range of clients more accurately, while also connecting to more venues, and extending its range of trading services.
TP ICAP’s Parameta Launches FX Evaluated Pricing Solution
Parameta Solutions, interdealer broker TP ICAP’s data and analytics business unit, has launched a new evaluated pricing solution that aims to deliver transparent and observable prices for foreign exchange derivatives securities globally, using a proprietary data model to give frequent and transparent indications. The FX Evaluated Pricing (FEP) service, which provides coverage for G10 and emerging market currency pairs and includes FX Forward instruments as well as FX volatility surfaces, aims to enable price discovery, valuation of portfolios and the meeting of regulatory reporting requirements. The launch follows the launch of TP ICAP’s Bond Evaluated Pricing in June 2020.
Etrading and ITSA Create Task Force to Discuss Digital Token Identifier Issuance Process
Etrading Software, acting as exclusive registration authority for ISO standard 24165 digital token identifiers (DTIs), and the International Token Standardization Association (ITSA), a non-profit organisation aiming at setting market standards for the global token economy, have created a joint task force to identify synergies in the issuance processes of both the DTI and the International Token Identification Number (ITIN), the technical identifier issued by ITSA for both fungible and non-fungible DLT-based cryptographic tokens. The task force was established in May and is due to run for the next six to twelve months.
A key deliverable of the task force will be to produce a set of recommendations for collaboration to the Digital Token Identifier Foundation (DTIF) and ITSA boards, including an outline implementation plan. These might include aligning DTIs and ITINs, automatic notifications between issuing authorities or white-label access and/or a federated model. In order to facilitate transparency, the task force charter, meeting agenda and minutes will be available to the public on the DTIF website.