CME Group and DTCC to Expand Cross-Margining Arrangement by December 2025

CME Group and The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) have revealed plans to expand their existing cross-margining arrangement by December 2025, pending regulatory approval. The enhancement will allow eligible end-user clients to access greater capital efficiencies when trading U.S. Treasury securities and CME Group interest rate futures with offsetting risk exposures.

To participate, clients must use the same dually registered Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) and broker/dealer at both central counterparties (CCPs). The initiative aligns with upcoming regulatory changes for U.S. Treasury clearing, promoting increased central clearing and reducing systemic risk. Under the proposed structure, FICC will designate cross-margin accounts, and CME Group will enable futures to be directed to these accounts throughout the day. Ahead of regulatory approvals, end-users can begin account setup, legal documentation, and workflow testing.

SimCorp Partners with Yield Book to Enhance Fixed Income Analytics

SimCorp, the integrated investment management solutions provider, has entered a strategic partnership with Yield Book, an LSEG Analytics business. Yield Book provides advanced fixed income models, analytics, and data products across various asset classes, including government and corporate bonds, US municipal bonds, and securitized debt.

This collaboration enables SimCorp’s clients to integrate Yield Book’s analytics with Axioma risk solutions, enhancing risk forecasting, sensitivity analysis, stress testing, and factor-based risk decomposition. The integration supports institutional investors in making more informed investment and risk decisions.

The partnership builds on SimCorp’s existing collaboration with LSEG Data & Analytics, established in 2024. It aims to strengthen data accessibility across the SimCorp One platform, facilitating more efficient, data-driven decision-making for mutual clients.

ION Commodities Relaunches Agtech as a Cloud-Based SaaS Solution for Grain and Oilseed Trading

ION Commodities has relaunched Agtech, formerly known as SMARTsoft, as a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution designed to modernise grain and oilseed merchandising and trading. Built on 30 years of industry expertise, the new Agtech leverages cloud-based technology to digitalise the entire value chain, offering real-time risk management, enhanced operational efficiency, and improved decision-making.

The solution provides tailored workflows and role-based dashboards for various industry professionals, including traders, CFOs, and logistics operators. Key functionalities include contract management, real-time P&L tracking, inventory management, and shipment planning. As the latest addition to ION Commodities’ suite of commodity management solutions, Agtech aims to set a new industry standard, equipping agricultural businesses with the tools needed to navigate volatile markets and maximise profitability.

GCEX Launches XplorAllocate to Streamline Multi-Asset Trade Allocation

GCEX Group has introduced XplorAllocate, a trade allocation tool designed for fund managers and professional traders. The solution aims to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and transparency across crypto spot, crypto derivatives, forex CFDs, and traditional financial markets. By automating trade distribution, XplorAllocate reduces operational risks and eliminates the need for separate allocation tools like PAMM or MAM.

The tool allows users to execute block trades and allocate them proportionally across clients, offering real-time visibility, a clear audit trail, and customisable allocation options. Integrated into GCEX’s trading ecosystem, XplorAllocate ensures a seamless experience with API connectivity for ease of access.

This launch aligns with GCEX’s broader institutional strategy, complementing its XplorDigital solutions, including ‘Crypto in a Box’ and ‘Broker in a Box.’ These platforms provide advanced liquidity, risk management, and regulatory-compliant technology solutions for institutional and professional clients.

GLEIF Names Chinese Certification Authority as vLEI Issuer

The China Financial Certification Authority (CFCA) has been announced as the first Chinese overseer of virtual identifiers created by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF).

The CFCA has become a Qualified vLEI Issuer (QVI) in the Global LEI System. VLEIs are used to verify the digital identities of companies and assets in financial transactions.

The CFCA will use vLEIs to help organisations use LEIs in conjunction with Chinese identity tools. It will also investigate other ways that vLEIs can verify identities in other use cases, such as real-time account registration verification, tamper-resistant digital signing, verifiable SME credit records and ESG-based credentialing, the GLEIF said.

Bloomberg Expands Climate Risk Offering with MARS Enhancement

Bloomberg clients can now use the New York-based company’s MARS risk management tool to assess the threats to their portfolios from climate change.

MARS Climate, an addition to the data behemoth’s physical and transition risk suite of analytics, offers climate scenario analyses based on the framework devised by the Network for Greening Financial System (NGFS). The new functionality is powered by the Transition Risk Assessment Company Tool (TRACT), created by Bloomberg’s new energy finance business, BloombergNEF.

Clients can query revenue risks and opportunities inherent in their business activities, supply chains and regional presence, measured according to the different NGFS scenarios.

Fenergo and PwC Partner to Enhance Financial Crime Compliance and Efficiency

A new collaboration between Fenergo and PwC aims to help financial institutions streamline financial crime compliance, improve operational efficiency, and navigate evolving regulatory demands. By combining PwC’s expertise in financial crime and regulatory compliance with Fenergo’s AI-driven client lifecycle management (CLM) and Know Your Customer (KYC) technology, the partnership is set to accelerate digital transformation in the sector. 

Financial institutions face increasing pressure to enhance financial crime risk management while maintaining efficiency. The partnership integrates Fenergo’s AI-powered CLM solutions with PwC’s advisory and implementation capabilities, supporting firms in scaling their compliance operations and optimizing processes. 

Mark Hunter, Partner at PwC, highlighted the importance of the collaboration: “Fenergo’s AI-powered platform is uniquely positioned to serve mid-market to large multinational organizations, offering the scale, flexibility, and advanced capabilities needed to manage complex regulatory environments and high volumes of transactions across global operations. This collaboration is enabling us to deliver even greater value and sustained outcomes to our clients. Clients choose PwC to drive growth, transform and create value – and that includes interventions with technology. Our approach focuses on how Fenergo’s software can add value to our clients’ organisations holistically. Our teams across our global practice have experience implementing Fenergo solutions at scale, and across multiple jurisdictions. We’ve invested in our own multi-disciplinary teams, who are now Fenergo-certified and have specialist functional capabilities and technical expertise to configure the Fenergo platform.” 

PwC’s role extends beyond implementation, with services such as target operating model design, customer experience mapping, and business change management. By leveraging PwC’s expertise, financial institutions can achieve a smoother integration of Fenergo’s technology into their existing frameworks. 

Matt Edwards, Global VP Partnerships and Alliances at Fenergo, emphasized the strategic advantage: “The synergy between Fenergo and PwC creates a powerful value proposition for financial institutions seeking to streamline financial crime operations and increase efficiencies in the face of accelerated regulatory change. The collaboration enables Fenergo to tap into PwC’s industry leading consultancy and implementation services to deliver an optimum target operating model for CLM. The result is a premium solution which empowers financial institutions to efficiently mitigate financial crime risk while driving growth and efficiency gains.” 

With financial institutions under growing scrutiny to enhance compliance while maintaining a seamless client experience, this partnership provides a structured approach to modernizing financial crime operations. The collaboration underscores a broader industry shift towards integrating advanced technology with deep regulatory expertise to drive sustainable compliance solutions. 

New Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit at SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has established the Cyber and Emerging Technologies Unit (CETU) to address cyber-related misconduct and safeguard retail investors in the evolving tech landscape. This new unit, led by Laura D’Allaird, succeeds the former Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit and comprises around 30 fraud specialists and attorneys from various SEC offices. 

Acting Chairman Mark T. Uyeda emphasized that CETU’s formation aims to protect investors while promoting innovation. He noted that the unit will “root out those seeking to misuse innovation to harm investors and diminish confidence in new technologies.” 

CETU’s priorities include addressing fraud involving emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, misuse of social media and the dark web for fraudulent activities, unauthorized acquisition of non-public information through hacking, takeovers of retail brokerage accounts, fraud related to blockchain and crypto assets, ensuring regulated entities comply with cybersecurity regulations, and monitoring public companies’ disclosures concerning cybersecurity. 

This initiative reflects the SEC’s commitment to adapting its enforcement strategies to the rapidly changing technological environment, aiming to foster a secure and transparent market for investors and innovators alike. 

SkySparc and Auxality Form Strategic Partnership to Enhance Asset Management Solutions

SkySparc, provider of solutions for corporate and financial institutions, has formed a strategic partnership with Auxality, a specialist in financial workflow digitalisation. This collaboration aims to enhance asset management capabilities by optimising workflows and ensuring regulatory compliance.

The partnership addresses key operational challenges for asset managers, including increasing regulatory demands, data management complexity, and margin pressure. By integrating SkySparc’s financial systems expertise with Auxality’s workflow solutions, the alliance provides a seamless framework for data accuracy, compliance, and cost reduction. SkySparc’s OmniFi platform enhances integration by offering comprehensive monitoring across all processes.

This collaboration is designed to allow asset managers to streamline documentation, automate workflows, and maintain data consistency, reducing operational overhead and compliance risks. Additionally, Auxality expands its service coverage, including 24/7 support.

Joakim Wiener, CEO, SkySparc, commented: “This strategic partnership aligns perfectly with our commitment to enabling continuous innovation within financial institutions. Together with Auxality, we can help our clients excel in managing the increasing complexities of fund administration and regulatory compliance. This collaboration further strengthens our position as a full-service provider to financial institutions.”

George Sallfeldt, CEO, Auxality, added: “In today’s increasingly complex regulatory environment, asset managers need solutions that reduce operational burden while ensuring compliance. By integrating directly with existing systems and digitising outputs we eliminate data redundancy and manual updates, allowing our clients to focus on their core business of managing investments. Our partnership with SkySparc enables us to deliver a truly integrated workflow solution with full support.”

BMV and IPC Partner to Launch Advanced Beeks Technology Infrastructure

Grupo Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV) and IPC have signed an agreement to deploy Beeks’ advanced technology infrastructure, enhancing BMV’s market capabilities. The deployment includes primary and disaster recovery sites in Mexico City, providing a secure and scalable solution to support market growth.

Set to go live in the second half of 2025, the new infrastructure will enable BMV to offer co-location services, allowing clients to host operations directly on the platform without needing a proprietary site. IPC is the contracting party, while Beeks will oversee the end-to-end deployment of the exchange infrastructure. This initiative aims to deliver a robust, flexible, and secure solution tailored for capital markets, leveraging Beeks’ expertise in financial technology.

“This agreement allows us to deliver cutting-edge technology, with a low-latency infrastructure deployed locally in Mexico City. We are well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of our market participants, remain at the forefront of innovation and as a leader in the region,” commented Jorge, Alegría, CEO of Grupo BMV.

“Beeks technology offers a dedicated, fully managed infrastructure for exchanges and trading venues worldwide,” said Gordon McArthur, CEO of Beeks Group. “We are proud to partner with BMV and leverage our established relationship with IPC to deliver cutting-edge solutions to the financial markets. This two-site deployment will ensure resiliency, security and scalability, supporting BMV’s ambitions for growth and innovation in the market.”

IPC’s Tito Singh, CRO added: “This is a great example of the strength of our partnership strategy, working with the best suppliers to support our customer first approach. It reinforces our long-term relationship with Beeks and our ongoing collaboration to deliver innovative, market-leading solutions in the industry.”