Saxo Bank and Brown Advisory Cooperate to Offer Ethical Stocks to SaxoSelect Clients

Saxo Bank, a fintech focused on multi-asset trading and investment, and Brown Advisory, a global investment manager with a history in sustainable investing, have cooperated to add a digital investment portfolio, Ethical Selection, to the SaxoSelect universe. The portfolio offers a cost-effective way to invest in a sustainable, all-cap, 30-40 stock portfolio comprising US listed companies. Brown Advisory’s research goes beyond negative screening and evaluates every company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) attributes to maintain a focus on companies that use sustainability drivers to add value to shareholders.

Regional Banks Join KY3P Initiative Aimed at Standardising Vendor Due Diligence

A group of 12 regional banks has invested in KY3P, a company working with the financial industry to minimise the burden of responding to duplicative due diligence requests from financial institutions. The group adds to existing design partners Barclays, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Morgan Stanley and UBS. KY3P was initiated by IHS Markit in 2015 and offers a central, cloud-based platform for vendor onboarding, collection and verification of due diligence data and vendor risk monitoring covering a range of third parties, including vendors, affiliates, sub-advisors, distributors, clearinghouses and other service providers in the financial industry.

SEB Selects DTCC Global Trade Repository for SFTR reporting

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) has selected DTCC’s Global Trade Repository (GTR) service to meet its obligations under the Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR), which is expected to apply from April 2020. To streamline client adoption of the service, DTCC recently added data transformation services to its SFTR offering, providing a one-stop shop for clients’ reporting needs.

MiFIR Data in a No-Deal Brexit World – Learn More at the DMI Summit 2019

Solidatus Targets Asia-Pacific from Office in Singapore

Solidatus, provider of a data lineage and business relationship mapping solution, has opened an office in Singapore to address Asia-Pacific markets. The expansion comes off the back of two trade missions to Asia in 2018, both of which were at the invitation of the UK Department of International Trade. John Berven, who has experience of the region and spent 18 years at State Street Global Markets, where he managed foreign exchange sales team that covered institutional investors in Hong Kong and Singapore for five years, will lead the Singapore office and be the first Solidatus employee outside the UK.

CAT NMS Names FINRA as Plan Processor for the CAT after Dropping Thesys

CAT NMS has selected the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) as plan processor for the consolidated audit trail (CAT), having dumped previous plan processor Thesys Technologies earlier this year. CAT NMS, which is responsible for implementation of the CAT, has also released updated industry member technology specifications and industry member technical specifications scenarios.

ESMA Names Three UK CCPs to Offer Services in the EU Following a No-Deal Brexit

ESMA has named three UK central counterparties (CCPs) that will be allowed to provide services in the EU following a no-deal Brexit. The CCPs are LCH, ICE Clear Europe, and LME Clear and have been selected to limit the risk of disruption in central clearing and avoid any negative impact on the financial stability of the EU in the case of a no-deal Brexit. ESMA also supports continued access to UK central securities depositories (CSDs) and is in the process of selecting which ones will continue to be recognised in the EU after a no-deal Brexit.

Broadridge Report Reveals Damage of Poor Personalised Communications

Broadridge Financial Solutions has released a rather telling report for those at financial institutions responsible for customer onboarding and client lifecycle management. The report shows that personalisation in communications can make a significant impact on customer loyalty. Some 35% of 3,004 consumers surveyed in the US and Canada said companies they use need to improve communication experiences, while 25% stopped doing business with a company specifically due to poorly personalised communications, a percentage that grows to 35% among millennials.

ChartIQ Raises $17.4 Million in Series B Funding

ChartIQ, a provider of HTML5 real-time data charting software and most recently a desktop integration platform that connects disparate applications into a unified desktop solution, has completed Series B funding, led by German investor Digital+ Partners, of $17.4 million. The company will use the funding to increase hiring efforts, expand its headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia and invest in research and development. It currently employs 50 staff globally and includes nine of the largest global investment banks among its customers. In total, ChartIQ has raised over $20 million in funding since its founding in 2012.

RIMES Names David Brierwood as its First Chairman of the Board

RIMES Technologies has appointed David Brierwood as its first chairman of the board. He has been a member of the board since 2015 and was formerly chief operating officer at MSCI. As chairman, Brierwood will help set the strategic direction of RIMES managed data services business and ensure effective communication between the board, executive team and other key stakeholders. He brings expertise in risk management, business operations and leadership gained from a career spent at some of the world’s leading investment management companies to the role.