The Derivatives Service Bureau (DSB) is calling for new members for its Product Committee. Applications close on 13th January 2021. Existing membership includes representatives from the buy-side, sell-side, custodians, data vendors, trading venues and trade associations, and has been chosen based on asset class and workflow expertise, as well as geographical representation. The committee is well represented from the North American and European regions, but wants to expand membership from the Middle East and Asia to broaden industry collaboration. The committee will begin its third term in February 2021 and will include work on the Unique Product Identifier (UPI).

FTSE Russell, a multi-asset index, analytics and data provider, has released reference price files for the digital asset market in partnership with Digital Asset Research (DAR). The so-called FTSE DAR Reference Price – Benchmark Assets are designed to meet investor needs for accurate price discovery, transparency and consistency in the digital asset market, as well as the requirements of the EU Benchmarks Regulation. There are 182 blockchain-based benchmark and non-benchmark assets included in the FTSE DAR Reference Price files. They are listed across 12 fully vetted and 19 watchlist digital asset exchanges representing about $400 billion in market capitalisation.

Gresham Technologies has signed consultancy Data-Xchange Technologies as a distribution partner for its Clareti software platform in Sub-Saharan Africa. The platform addresses financial control, risk management, data governance and regulatory compliance. Data-Xchange provides process automation services for financial services firms, enabling clients to manage operational risk, compliance and control challenges. Data-Xchange’s Ross Thompson says: “This region is no stranger to regulation and the need to control and process all types of data sets. The partnership will mean our customers will have access to next-gen products that can replace aging legacy solutions that are unable to fulfil this requirement.”

The Financial Stability Board (FSB) has published a discussion paper for public consultation on Regulatory and Supervisory Issues Relating to Outsourcing and Third-Party Relationships. Coverage includes the financial sector’s response to COVID-19, which highlighted benefits and challenges of managing the risks of financial institutions’ interactions with third parties, and common concerns about the possibility of systemic risk arising from concentration in the provision of some outsourced and third-party services to financial institutions. Responses to the discussion paper must be submitted by January 8, 2021.

Bloomberg will make Credit Benchmark’s credit risk data, derived from risk views of large financial institutions, available on the Bloomberg Terminal and to license for enterprise use cases. The anonymised consensus data adds to existing credit risk datasets and risk indicators, providing complementary content to help market participants assess the credit quality or risk of default of a counterparty, company or entity, all integrated within their existing workflows. Credit Benchmark data can help support risk management, loan and debt underwriting, portfolio optimisation, supply chain risk management, investment idea generation, and is a means of assessing ongoing credit quality.

The Derivatives Service Bureau (DSB) has fulfilled plans to expand regional representation of its Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) working on the development of the Unique Product Identifier (UPI). A new two-year term of the TAC begins today, under the auspices of new chair Chris Pulsifer, a software development manager from Bloomberg, and including six members based in Asia, one in the Middle East and North Africa region, 10 in North America, and 13 in Europe. The UPI has, to date, been acknowledged by regulators including the CFTC and ESMA. More are expected to follow in coming months.

In the latest Brexit news, ESMA has confirmed that the three central counterparties (CCPs) in the UK – ICE Clear Europe, LCH and LME Clear – will be recognised as third country CCPs eligible to provide services in the EU after December 31, 2020. The EC has adopted an equivalence decision that will make the UK CCPs equivalent for 18 months. The equivalence decision is the first of several conditions to be met for recognising a third country CCP under EMIR, including the establishment of cooperation arrangements with home supervisors.

The Luxembourg-based European Depositary Bank (EDB, a subsidiary of Apex Group) has chosen Thomas Murray to provide data and monitoring services to its compliance practices, including the use of the vendor’s independent analysis and operational risk data for market and counterparty monitoring. EDB will also undertake Thomas Murray’s central securities depositary and market asset safety risks assessments and participate in its transfer agency monitoring programme.

SimCorp, a provider of integrated investment management solutions and services including SimCorp Datacare (a data management solution for buyside pricing and reference data), is merging its Central Europe, Southern Europe and UK/Northern Europe/Middle East (UNM) market units, into one integrated EMEA unit. The move is designed to support SimCorp’s growth ambition, by developing closer client relationships across borders and achieving greater scale and agility in key business functions.

The new unit will be headed by Hans Otto Engkilde, the current Managing Director of SimCorp UK/Northern Europe/Middle East, who will lead best practice throughout the merged market unit, with a focus on growing SimCorp’s front office, data management, alternative investments, and client communication offerings.

The Finantix Product Suite is a modular, API-driven suite of products that can be integrated with existing IT systems. Capita Consulting will become a Finantix certified strategic implementation partner in the UK. In this role Capita Consulting will help clients in the private banking and wealth management sectors design and launch a Finantix platform tailored to their needs. As well as helping Finantix clients select the right mix of capabilities for their needs, Capita Consulting will also advise Finantix on product enhancements across the suite of solutions offered to the UK market.