A-Team Insight Brief
BMLL Launches Key Datasets on Snowflake Marketplace
BMLL, the Level 3 data and analytics provider, has made three new datasets available on the Snowflake Marketplace, marking the completion of the first phase of its programme aimed at enhancing dataset accessibility for customers. Building on their September 2023 partnership with Snowflake, BMLL now offers market participants Daily Classified Trades, Level 2 Quotes, and Millisecond CBBO datasets in addition to existing Level 3 data and analytics.
The collaboration between BMLL and Snowflake, with the latter also investing as a strategic Series B investor, aims to revolutionise the way market participants source and handle large datasets, by providing high-quality, easily accessible data without the need for extensive in-house resources.
CME Group and DTCC Launch Enhanced Cross-Margining for Clearing Members
CME Group, in collaboration with The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), has officially initiated their advanced cross-margining system. This development introduces capital efficiency improvements for clearing members involved in trading and settling both U.S. Treasury securities and CME Group Interest Rate futures.
The upgraded framework now permits eligible members from both CME Group and DTCC’s Government Securities Division to cross-margin a broader range of products, such as SOFR futures, Ultra 10-Year U.S. Treasury Note futures, and Ultra U.S. Treasury Bond futures, alongside FICC-cleared U.S. Treasury notes and bonds. Additionally, repo transactions backed by Treasury securities with over a year until maturity are also eligible for the enhanced arrangement.
S&P Global Market Intelligence Integrates Nikkei News Offering into S&P Capital IQ Pro Platform
S&P Global Market Intelligence has announced an enhancement to its S&P Capital IQ Pro platform through the integration of Nikkei’s comprehensive news service, a move stemming from their partnership initiated in 2022. The integration will provide users with insights into the Asia-Pacific financial markets, regulatory changes, corporate developments, and emerging trends.
The collaboration between S&P and Nikkei marries editorial with advanced data analytics, offering a one-stop solution for APAC market intelligence. Additionally, Nikkei News will soon become available via feed delivery, in a machine-readable format optimised for Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications. This content will feature metadata tagging, enhancing its usability and ensuring better compatibility with NLP tools.
R3 Unveils R3 Digital Markets to Facilitate Digital Asset Adoption with Kate Karimson at the Helm
DLT technology and services company R3 has introduced R3 Digital Markets, a solution suite aimed at empowering firms to leverage digital assets and currencies. The new offering, underpinned by R3’s tokenisation platform, Corda, is designed to enhance efficiency and reduce costs within financial markets seamlessly integrate Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) into fundamental business practices.
To lead the roll out of the new suite, R3 has appointed financial technology leader and capital markets expert Kate Karimson as Chief Commercial Officer. Karimson joins R3 with a proven track record, following leadership roles at CME Group, BrokerTec, ICAP and LedgerEdge.
Cognizant Collaborates with Microsoft on genAI Powered Innovation Assistant
Cognizant, a provider of IT, consulting and business process services, has collaborated with Microsoft to launch Innovation Assistant, a generative AI-powered tool built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and designed to augment Cognizant’s internal innovation programme. The Innovation Assistant assimilates enterprise knowledge and enables greater creativity and innovation among teams of Cognizant employees working to solve client challenges.
Azentio Partners Regula to Automate Identity Proofing In Digital Onboarding Solutions
Azentio Software, a Singapore-based technology firm, has made a strategic partnership with Regula, a global developer of forensic devices and identity verification solutions, to improve its digital onboarding solutions. Two Regula solutions, Regula Document Reader SDK and Regula Face SDK, will be integrated with Azentio ONEBanking and Azentio ONECapitalMarkets platforms. Regula Document Reader SDK ensures automated and secure identity proofing, while Regula Face SDK performs biometric verification.
Ihar Kliashchou, chief technology officer at Regula, comments: “We are glad to join forces with Azentio to bolster identity verification in remote onboarding and KYC processes for banks and financial institutions across continents. Financial services are among the most vulnerable industries when it comes to identity fraud.”
Databento Becomes Authorised Distributor of ICE Data
Databento, specialists in APIs for real-time and historical market data, have become an authorised distributor of ICE data with the launch of their latest datasets: ICE Futures Europe iMpact (IFEU.IMPACT) and ICE Endex iMpact (NDEX.IMPACT).
Sourced from ICE’s iMpact multicast futures and options market data feed and picked up at ICE’s colocation facilities in Basildon, UK and at 350 E. Cermak in Chicago, the data feed is then transported over a private backbone to CyrusOne Aurora I, the site of CME’s matching engine, for capture and redistribution. This arrangement provides Databento’s users with consistent timestamping between CME and ICE’s futures markets.
BNY Mellon and ING Join CLSNet to Enhance FX Market Efficiency and Risk Reduction
BNY Mellon, the world’s largest custodian bank, and ING, the largest Dutch bank, have joined CLS’s CLSNet service, whose user base now includes eight of the top 10 global banks. The service aims to reduce settlement risk and improve operational efficiency, particularly in the FX market where risk mitigation is increasingly critical, especially in emerging market currencies and other expanding market segments.
CLSNet has seen significant growth this year, indicating strong industry support for the service. It has consistently recorded high average daily notional values of net calculations, surpassing USD 115 billion over the past 12 months, reaching a record daily notional value of USD 445 billion netted on 20 December 2023.
UK ESG Ratings Code of Conduct to be Explained in London
LSEG, the owner of the London Stock Exchange, will host an event to discuss how the UK’s code of conduct covering ESG ratings and data companies will work in practice.
Companies are being invited to sign up to the code of conduct after it was launched in December following its proposal in the summer. The January 31 event in London is aimed at explaining to signatories and other stakeholders how they will be affected by the measure.
The code envisages a six-principles approach to bringing order to ESG ratings whose providers face criticism over inconsistencies in their scores and conflicts of interest.
It was commissioned by the UK regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which created the ESG Data and Ratings Code of Conduct Working Group (DRWG) to draw up the proposals. The working group was supported by the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG) and the International Capital Market Association (ICMA).
Danske Bank Selects Broadridge’s Tbricks for Enhanced Multi-Asset Trading and Market Making
Danske Bank has adopted Broadridge Financial Solutions’ Tbricks multi-asset trading and market making platform, to upgrade its trading, pricing, and position management capabilities across its various locations. The integration with Tbricks aims to streamline Danske Bank’s operations, enhance strategic focus, and ensure long-term cost efficiency.
According to the company, the decision reflects a broader trend in the capital markets sector, where firms increasingly seek adaptable, modular solutions that blend speed and accuracy with the necessary agility to navigate the dynamic financial market landscape.