Xenomorph Opens Boston Office

Xenomorph has extended its reach in the US with an office in Boston. Founded in London 25 years ago, the company opened its first office in the US in New York City in 2005. The company’s presence in Boston builds on a number of client engagements. Naj Alavi, president, Xenomorph Software, Inc, is leading the expansion. He says: “We have long supported the thriving Massachusetts capital markets community from NYC, but as we continue to service a growing list of asset managers and hedge funds, we felt the time was right to open doors in Boston.”

KBC Bank chooses Finastra for LIBOR transition

KBC Bank, a Belgium-based bank with operations across Europe, US and Asia Pacific, has chosen Finastra to help manage its transition through the upcoming interbank references rates changes. It has selected Fusion Loan IQ Alternate Reference Rates (ARR) module to manage new rates and to expand its lending business. The bank has also opted for the Fusion LIBOR Transition Calculator to help calculate rates ahead of the transition period.

DTCC Releases White Paper on Managing Post-Covid Risk

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), a provider of market infrastructure for the global financial services industry, has released a white paper identifying key priorities where financial market infrastructures (FMIs) should focus in the coming years to proactively and effectively manage risk in a post-pandemic environment. FMIs around the globe performed remarkably well amid unprecedented market volatility and record trade volumes in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. However, the pandemic’s impact will likely cause structural changes to the financial services industry, as well as the regulatory landscape and legislative agendas.

ATP Goes Live with SimCorp’s SFTR Solution

ATP, Denmark’s largest public pension fund, has gone live on SimCorp’s cloud-based SFTR solution. ATP’s go-live coincides with the reporting start date for the third phase of SFTR, on January 11, where it joins several SimCorp clients who have smoothly transitioned to the cloud-based regulatory reporting platform, and successfully automated reporting to their chosen Trade Repository.

Finastra Moves Fusion Invest to the Cloud

Joining the drive to help asset managers digitally transform their operations, Finastra has moved its investment management solution Fusion Invest to the cloud. The cloud version of the solution is intended to bypass the shortfalls of on-premise software, giving asset managers agility to scale and access innovative products and services from Finastra and its partners in areas such as portfolio management and reporting. These solutions, along with Fusion Invest, are available on FusionFabric.cloud, an open and collaborative development platform and application marketplace underpinned by the Microsoft Axure cloud.

DSB Seeks Views on UPI Fees

The Derivatives Service Bureau (DSB), founded by the Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA), to facilitate the allocation and maintenance of ISINs, CFIs and FISNs for OTC derivatives, is calling on industry to respond to a first consultation on the fee model principles underpinning the Unique Product Identifier (UPI) service, which opened this week. The DSB urges market participants required to report to trade repositories anywhere in the world, and will be mandated to incorporate the UPI into their workflows, to review and respond to the consultation.

North Reef Capital Management Selects SS&C

North Reef Capital Management, a long/short equity fund adviser founded in 2020, has selected SS&C’s front-to-back office solution including Eze technology acquired in 2018 to run its operations. The firm will use Eze Eclipse’s front-office capabilities and SS&C’s administration capabilities to run and grow the fund. SS&C says more than 80 emerging funds are using the integration of Eze technology and SS&C’s fund administration services.

Fenergo Automates Client Onboarding Systems for Mizuho Americas

Mizuho Americas has deployed Fenergo client lifecycle management (CLM) software to automate Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulatory processes, digitalise workflows and accelerate client onboarding. The Fenergo implementation replaces manual processes and provides Mizuho Americas with a single, comprehensive view of customers across all business lines. Mizuho Americas’ parent, Mizuho Financial Group, is also planning to implement Fenergo’s CLM solution across its Global Securities division.

SmartStream Reveals New Brand Identity

SmartStream Technologies, the financial Transaction Lifecycle Management solutions provider, has launched a new corporate brand identity, including an updated logo and website. The new logo includes the infinity symbol, selected to demonstrate the continual evolution of the business, in line with the rapid pace of industry change.

CEO Haytham Kaddoura said: “We are proud of our history. With over four decades of experience behind us, we are a trusted partner to the financial industry, transforming middle and back-office operations globally. Our wealth of practical knowledge, coupled with a constant focus on innovation, sets us apart from the rest”.

NICE Actimize Offers Advanced Facial Recognition Through FACEPOINT

NICE Actimize today announced that FACEPOINT, which provides a biometric risk screening engine offering facial recognition technology for advanced KYC and watch list risk screening, has joined its X-Sight Marketplace. FACEPOINT uses facial recognition to disambiguate potential matches, reduce false positive rates and identify emerging threats such as those posed by unnamed persons of interest that are not covered by watchlists. NICE Actimize’s X-Sight Marketplace, which has grown to include more than 60 technology partners, is a financial crime and compliance ecosystem that connects financial services organizations with data, applications, tools and service providers.