Get your MiFID II KYC checklist for 2016

JWG analysis. JWG’s recent analysis report, the MiFID II KYC mountain, finds that financial institutions have a 12-item checklist to work through for their MiFID II KYC implementation due to the requirement for firms operating in the EU to acquire, document and agree much more information about their customer’s situation and their transacted business by


New EU islands to explore post Easter!

JWG analysis. We’re used to watching our document trackers spin out of control in so-called ‘quiet’ times.  As we wrote in January, the last 2 weeks of 2014 year saw global FS regulators pump out over 4,000 pages. These Easter holidays were little better with 2,000 pages of regulatory text released in two weeks.  It


JWG analysis. As MiFID programmes take off and top tier firms tackle MiFID II implementation, the banking sector is about to be hit by even more pressure to produce reports about trading activity. The proposed regulation, aimed at enhancing the transparency of securities financing transactions (SFTs), seeks to ‘balance the scales’ between the two sectors


JWG analysis. Firms have plenty of planes in the air right now.  The regulatory pressure on firms to ‘get KYC right’ in the form of new financial crime regulation, such as FATCA or AMLD IV, and huge fines means they will need to juggle these changes amidst an ongoing regulatory implementation effort. How you need


JWG analysis. We attended an august gathering of 400+ buy-side professionals last week.  Not only did regulatory drivers get a healthy hearing, but the group discussed how they will impact the way business is going to be handled in the future. Clearly, margins are under pressure, brokers are not giving it away like they once


Are EU algo rules converging?

By Sam Tyfield and JWG. Here algo again … Yesterday, ESMA published a notice stating that supervision of automated trading across the EU (in compliance with the ESMA guidelines from 2012) was converging.  We found that interesting – a closer look at the BaFin’s rules versus those MiFID II/R creates would appear to show less


G20 reform – TSAM helicopter view

Regulation is coming thick and fast. With predicted document count of 200,000 by 2018, dealing with the deluge in a page-by-page, regulation-by-regulation approach is becoming impossible as G20 commitments spread across many rulebooks. Firms trying to tackle the changes one-by-one will end up with sky-high implementation costs and conflicting priorities – unless they take action


Knowing the compliant customer in 2016

JWG analysis. Regulations like FATCA, EMIR and Dodd-Frank have asked us to collect more information on our customers than ever before – but now it’s clear that was just the start of the story.  New regulation finds regulators even hungrier for information on the firm’s relationship with its customer, together with details of how information


With the second round of MiFID II consultation now officially over, the time is right to get our MiFID II implementation training ready to fly on 24 March in London. We suspect that, soon, regulators will be asking tough questions about how you plan to be ready for system integration testing in a mere 350


MiFID II: here I come, ready or not …

JWG analysis. The second round of MiFID II consultation has officially ended.  As we have previously noted, the tone from the recent hearing was that, despite more consultation due on some of the fine print, we are largely done discussing the standards and can now begin to start thinking about how to implement them. On


JWG analysis. With 40+ regulations covering 500+ KYC data requirements due to be implemented over the next 3 years, meeting the requirements poses significant challenges to all firms in the market, not least client outreach, data management and multiple, iterative, implementation dates.  Combined with record fines for AML failures, and new personal liability for senior


MiFID II implementation: ready for blast off!

JWG analysis. This month, ESMA hosted a broad cross-section of market participants for a final ‘hearing’ on the MIFID II technical standards they will send to Brussels for approval this summer.  Of course, many attendees were surprised to find that, while they were en route to Paris to sit for 10 hours with 350 of


Are your regulatory tribes sharing?

JWG analysis. As we read the comments on our last article on the five tribes of regulatory reform, we were struck by the visceral reaction to the suggestion of sharing the agenda.  “Hands-off, that’s my mortgage you’re messing with”, commented one lawyer.  We wonder, can tribes achieve their overarching regulatory goals if they are NOT


By Robin Poynder, FMR advisory. Advancements in price distribution technologies and the advent of high frequency trading have forced firms’ IT departments to establish strict controls around best practice pricing for trades. CEO of FMR Advisory, Robin Poynder, explains the need for a standardised protection mechanism “last look”. “Some argue that last look is a


Doing regulation right? Go tribal

JWG analysis. It’s only February and we’ve laid out quite a programme of work for 2015.  Digesting the 4,000-page Christmas gift, curing the KYC sickness, cutting a trail through MiFID II and taming your global trading troubles – and we’re not yet at the midpoint of the first quarter.  Sadly, it is not a blip


JWG analysis. There is a war going on to ‘Know Your Customer’.  As regulators continue to release new requirements for firms to collect and maintain information about their clients and counterparties, the struggle to comply has turned into trench warfare fought across many fronts, and new strategies are needed to avoid a long and uncertain


On the 22nd January, over 30 stakeholders from 12 firms met Customer Data Management Group (CDMG)  meeting to discuss their 2015 priorities for regulatory KYC requirements. JWG presented a summary of 40+ new regulations that require firms to manage counterparty information over the next 3 years.  Alec then presented summaries of the 11 regulations in scope


The need for better counterparty information sits at the centre of most regulatory reform agendas. Unfortunately, this means the period from 2015 to 2017 brings with it massive new documentation, workflow and vendor change for the hundreds of fields maintained for every subaccount in capital markets. Do you know what is about to hit your marketing,


Happy EU Data Protection Day!

By Sam Tyfield, Vedder Price. Back in 2009, the EU issued a Recommendation (which has no binding legal effect) on the use and application of RFIDs (which, for our purposes, means ID/swipe/access cards).  The EU has just issued a review of the implementation of the Recommendation EU-wide and has found take-up by EU member States


JWG analysis. The chief of the CFTC pronounced from Japan this week that implementing regulatory reform means overcoming “legal traditions, regulatory philosophies, political processes, and market concerns”.  Looking at the global trading regulatory climate that surrounds MiFID II, we couldn’t agree more. Those struggling to digest the MiFID II texts and get to Paris for


Your path through the MiFID II jungle

JWG analysis. The industry returned after the break knowing that it had fewer than 500 working days to implement MiFID II but found over 2,000 pages of new text to read.  Even worse, the grapevine whispers that more is due out this month. As we’ve written before, organising and planning is the order of the


The cure for KYC sickness

JWG analysis. 2015 will see a number of new regulatory requirements, long in the proposal or draft stage, crystallise into prescriptions for better customer data management.  At a time when record fines for AML failures and new personal liability for senior managers have intensified the pressure to ‘get KYC right’, these ‘remedies’ pose significant challenges


RegBeacon now published for members.

Happy New Year!  Many may have been disappointed by snowless mountains this year but here, in the FS sector, our regulators are making sure we’re covered. Far from a light dusting, this year’s ‘Christmas dump’ exceeded our expectations and all corners of the earth are now digging out from under the 4,000 pages that fell


The Christmas gift …

JWG analysis. While most of us basked in the holiday spirit, the regulatory Grinches were hard at work.  In the two-week period between 19 December and 2 January, regulatory bodies in the UK, EU and US alone published over 40 critical documents. JWG’s tracking revealed a broad range of subjects.  CRD IV/CRR, BRRD, UCITS V,


2015: time for your new operating model?

JWG analysis. 60 attendees across the buy and sell-sides came together at Markit’s seminar in Stockholm last month to discuss today’s industry challenges.  They concluded that a new focus on establishing a flexible banking operating model to meet both business and regulatory demands for data, processes and standards, is top on their wish list for 2015.


♫ MiFID II is Coming To Town … ♫

You better know deals You better not bribe Better not launder ESMA’s telling you why MiFID II is coming to town   They‘re checking reports And transparency ESMA’s regulating Intermediaries MiFID II is coming to town   They see your algorithms They know your HFTs They know if you’ve been market making So follow the


What happens if nobody owns regulation?

This summer, we found that the industry could face up to three Eiffel Towers high worth of paper from the G20.  Curious about the risks inherent in managing that many documents, we asked Meredith Gibson, Head of Legal Risk at Santander UK, and Helen Pykhova, Director of The Op Risk Company and Chair, Operational Risk


ESMA releases revised trade reporting rules

As published in ‘The Trade’. Europe’s financial regulator has revised the current framework for the reporting of derivatives trades under the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR). The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is now seeking feedback on its changes which aim to resolve the widespread issues which have arisen in the reporting process. The


JWG analysis. In our last article on this topic, we spelt out our views on regulatory implementation standards.  And the first standard that needs to be defined is how you’re going to organise your work programmes. The shape of your MiFID II programme MiFID II is far beyond just a few ‘tweaks’ to MiFID I.  So much


JWG analysis. This summer, we took a look at the emerging MiFID II/MiFIR technical standards and concluded that the ‘hearing’ that they were getting would result in a war of many parts. Since the summer, over 700 MiFID II/MiFIR responses have been submitted, the FCA has run a conference crying for action and JWG is


Darragh O’Grady and JWG. There has been much written lately on the potentially disruptive impact that digital currencies may have.  However, the blockchain architecture that underlies them has also been a recent subject of a CFTC meeting to discuss the potentially disruptive impact of this new technology.  We asked an architecture expert with a background


Huge fines and complex KYC rules are causing banks to ‘de-risk’ their client portfolios leading to many without access to banking.  Now both consumers and politicians are unhappy.  For years, the industry has struggled without real standards in the AML arena.  So what happens next? SIBOS news was full of more KYC claims again this


Trade reporting – watch out!

JWG analysis. The challenges of gaining oversight over the financial system are not going unnoticed.  We come back from the summer holidays with 5 leading indicators that suggest we are on the brink of bad news.  Bad news that is likely to spread far and wide. Firstly, in a new report, the US Government Accountability


MiFID II set to expand op risk remit?

In our previous articles we’ve explored the expanding requirements for robust systems and risk controls under MiFID II, the nature of proportionality as it relates to algorithmic trading and the new accountability implications for senior managers. This article, written by Meredith Gibson, Head of Legal Risk, Santander UK plc and Helen Pykhova, Director, The Op


JWG analysis. As the sun slips back into hibernation, schools reopen and autumn looms, regulators, lawyers, risk specialists, change managers and compliance professionals are returning to their desks. Here at JWG we have been busy tabulating the enormous level of movement in the regulatory space during the summer. For those of you lucky enough to


Clients … what do they know?

JWG analysis. “When providing investment advice or portfolio management the investment firm shall obtain the necessary information regarding the client’s or potential client’s knowledge and experience in the investment field relevant to the specific type of product or service … so as to enable the investment firm to recommend to the client or potential client the


JWG analysis. This summer, regulatory pressure on financial services firms has ratcheted up to unprecedented levels.  Many may have breathed a sigh of relief as Dodd-Frank rule-making slowed … but the respite was only fleeting.  Since July, the industry has been bombarded with 39 new consultation papers (in the EU and UK alone) just as


JWG analysis. ‘What is proportional?’ is a question that firms may well find themselves pondering in the coming months as they begin implementation planning for MiFID II … and the same question is going to be asked by risk and compliance specialists on a regular basis once MiFID II goes live in 2017. This is


MAR Consultation Papers: an overview

By Sam Tyfield, Vedder Price. Recently, ESMA published two consultation papers (CPs) on MAR: 1. draft technical standards on MAR (CP1) and 2. draft technical advice on Commission delegated acts (CP2).  The consultation period closes in October 2014. CP1 contains reference to insider trading, buy-backs and stabilisation, market soundings and other issues on which I


JWG analysis Europe has two key market abuse rule-sets being introduced in 2014/15 – The Regulation on Energy Market Integrity and Transparency (REMIT) and the Market Abuse Directive (MAD) and Regulation (MAR). This month, 4 consultations have been released; two from the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) and two from the European


JWG analysis. At the turn of the century, the framers of the UK’s financial infrastructure rulebook enshrined four fundamental concepts into systems and controls practice.  The rulebook in question is the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), which created the FSA.  (The FSA was then subsequently split into the FCA and the PRA in


Trade reporting fines on the horizon

By Jon Watkins, The TRADE. Regulators are set to clamp down on widespread trade reporting breaches across Europe as a six-month grace period since the rules were introduced expires, according to industry sources. Issues surrounding unique trade identifiers (UTIs), legal entity identifiers (LEIs) and the complexity of the 85 fields required by regulators have plagued


JWG analysis. We learnt something this month.  The reason Europe calls it a regulatory ‘hearing’ is that it is an opportunity to hear views from both regulators and the market.  Of course, that’s just part of the experience as many other senses are triggered when 400 people are locked in a basement for 2 days,


By Jon Watkins, The TRADE. European regulators opened their doors to market participants this week, who had their voices heard on the key points of MiFID II relating to the derivatives markets. Trade reporting, open access to clearing houses and high-frequency trading were just a handful of the contentious topics discussed during an two-days of


ESMA gets an earful from industry

By Anna Reitman, Automated Trader. Public hearing was a marathon run for industry questions and comments on every aspect of upcoming MiFID II and MiFIR reforms. We highlight a few issues, including market making obligations and requirements that could find direct market access providers identifying clients’ proprietary algorithms. Paris – As the financial industry prepares


JWG analysis. The desire for tighter controls on algorithmic trading is growing globally.  Trading rules in the major financial centres will quickly set new minimum thresholds. As described in our previous piece on how algos are defined and controlled, Europe is again leading the pack and would appear to have serious intent to change the


JWG analysis. Regulators across the globe appear divided on the question of whether tighter control of algorithmic trading is necessary. The Australians are pretty laid back about it, the Germans are ahead of the game, whilst political debate rages in the US.  Regardless, while the value of algo trading to global markets is generally considered


By Dominic Hobson, COOConnect. If you are a hedge fund manager, it is always tempting to believe that you are too small to be of interest to regulators. Or not the intended target of regulation at all. The fact that resources are too short to understand the detail of every regulation tends to encourage this (potentially ostrich-like) approach.


By Chris Kentouris. EMIR, it’s short for European Market Infrastructure Regulation. It has also become a four-letter word for fund managers struggling to fulfill reporting requirements. About five months after the effective date for fund managers and broker dealers to send details of trades executed on exchange-listed and over-the-counter swap transactions to recognized trade repositories, fund managers are


With the release of ESMA‘s MiFID II Discussion Paper on 22 May, we received confirmation that transaction reporting is set to get 300% bigger.  The discussion paper outlines 93 fields to be included in reporting, with the addition of algo, trader and client IDs.  For many in the industry, transaction reporting is one of the


JWG analysis. June has been a busy month for all regulatory agencies, and the BCBS is no exception. With 3 consultations, 2 sets of principles and 1 regulatory consistency assessment as well as a 2013/14 annual report published in this month alone, we can see 5 years from the crisis that international standard setting is


JWG analysis. This month the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation published a proposal amending the Annual Stress Test rule. The Annual Stress Test rule, originally published in October 2012, requires that non-member banks and FDIC insured state-chartered savings associations with total consolidated assets of more than $10 billion conduct annual stress tests. The proposed amendment to


JWG analysis. When we talk to people about MiFID II, they tend to focus on what they need to tell the regulator: transaction reporting, transparency and algorithmic trading often come up {see here for more}.  It’s clearly a big deal in terms of firms’ balance sheets and an important part of the regulatory plumbing to


Super Tuesday RegDelta alert no 1

JWG analysis Last week, long after the news of Super Tuesday which reshaped the EU regulatory landscape, Europe made MiFID II, MAR, CSMAD, DGSD and the BRRD law of the land. The final Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) , weighing in at a slim 69% fewer pages thanks to repagination, appears to be


ESMA: “No more guidance from us”

JWG analysis. Depending on whom you listen to, Europe’s trade repositories either popped in for a chat with ESMA, or were hauled in for a stern reprimand last week.  Whichever it was, the resulting discussion was pretty explosive.  ESMA made themselves very clear; trade repositories must work harder to address low levels of inter-trade repository


In our previous article we looked at the current surveillance regime in Europe and the challenges of extending it. See here for more background on the 860 questions that need to be answered by 1 August. While not comprehensive, this will help describe three issues that should be on your checklist: context, identification and linkage.


As debate rages across the Atlantic today over controlling HFT in Chicago, we’ve been digging into ESMA’s 42 pages on transaction reporting in its MiFID II discussion paper.  See here for more background on the 860 questions that need to be answered by 1 August.  Years after Dodd-Frank upgraded the surveillance capability of the US,


JWG analysis. The continent was rocked by far more than parliamentary elections on 22 May. Early reports from major financial centres confirm the impact from the 844 pages of text released by ESMA on MiFID II / MIFID to be about a 9 on the Richter scale – so high that ESMA’s website gave up


JWG has extracted the following questions from ESMA‘s Consultation Paper on MiFID/MiFIR Technical Advice.  ESMA needs to deliver this advice to the European Commission by December 2014 and is therefore subject to a condensed consultation process for this paper. For more on MiFID/MiFIR see here. Q1.      Do you agree with the proposed cumulative conditions to be


  [accordion] JWG has extracted the following questions from ESMA‘s Discussion Paper on MiFID/MiFIR draft RTS/ITS.  This paper will provide the basis for a further consultation paper on the draft RTS/ITS which is expected to be issued in late 2014/early 2015. For more on MiFID/MiFIR see here. Q1:      Do you agree that the existing work/standards


JWG analysis. Our jaws hit the floor when it was revealed at our CDMG meeting last week that ESMA’s MiFID II technical standards are expected to be in excess of 800 pages with more than 800 questions to be answered by August 2014. And this is just the start.  ESMA’s 2014 work plan has over


JWG analysis. On 15 April the European Parliament formally adopted the Regulation on Central Securities Depositaries (CSDR), a crucial piece of the new EU landscape for securities trading.  The impact will be far reaching – and not just for Europe. As firms chart their way through MiFID II and global OTC reform, they will be


The minefield of KYC compliance

JWG analysis. The idea of KYC compliance has traditionally been associated with AML, PEP checks and international sanctions, however the new wave of regulations that is to begin rolling out in 2015 will place a whole new set of pressures on businesses to ‘know their clients’. Rachel Wolcott, writing for Accelus’ Compliance Complete, has highlighted


The ‘Super Tuesday’ safety net

JWG analysis. While the significant reforms of MiFID II, the BRRD, the SRM and the DGS stole the limelight on ‘Super Tuesday’, other significant legislation also made its way through Parliament. The following reforms highlight Parliament’s move to solidify consumer protection within the wider European market.  These reforms, the BAD, PRIIPs KID and UCITS V


JWG analysis. As the European Parliament adopted MiFID II/ MiFIR on 15 April, the financial services industry was left wondering what exactly the new transparency regime is going to mean. Despite a curiously low EC estimate of compliance costs, at between €512 and €732 million, it is clear that MiFID will have a large impact


JWG analysis. On Tuesday, 15 April the European Parliament approved several new reforms to manage banking sector risk and ensure that shareholders, not taxpayers, pick up the tab for the next crisis. Now the political work is done, the MEPs are busy campaigning, and it’s up to the industry and ESAs to work out how


JWG analysis. When MiFIR is implemented in 2016, all of the pain experienced in preparing for EMIR’s transaction reporting regime, which went live earlier this year on 12 February, is likely to be rekindled.  Thankfully, at least this time around the industry has significantly more time to get prepared. Hopefully, that means enough time to


Algo flagging – the future

By Sam Tyfield, Vedder Price. Algo flagging is currently only the concern of direct members of German venues.  But it’s going to have a much broader application under MiFID / MiFIR and become of concern to the buy-side too. Yesterday, the good Doctor Voigt of Fidessa published a blog about algo flagging.  It is well worth


MiFID II to calm the US HFT storm?

JWG analysis. While the US HFT debate rages and the FBI launches its investigations, Europe is quietly preparing to set a hard-hitting set of new rules for technical standards. When ESMA begins its consultation around MiFID II / MiFIR tech standards this summer, market participants will need to have their ducks in a row and


JWG analysis. Earlier this month, New York Attorney General (NYAG), Eric Schneiderman, set out his stall with a scathing attack on high frequency trading firms and their practices.  Describing HFT firms as ‘parasitic’ and comparing their strategies to “Insider Trading 2 .0”, the NYAG’s statement would have been music to the ears of financial luddites


JWG analysis. Last week, Nasdaq OMX became the first infrastructure provider to be authorised as a Central Counterparty (CCP) under the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR).  The decision sent waves of mild panic rippling through the OTC markets, putting the focus back on an issue that was already predicted to pose problems for European banks


JWG hosted a jam-packed CDMG meeting last week for the first sneak-peek of what MiFID II holds in store for 2016. The big conclusion:  a lot of work still needs to be done to scope out the operational implications of MiFID II / MiFIR and firms will need to coordinate responses quickly once the consultation


JWG analysis. This week marked the one year anniversary of EMIR’s first implementation deadline.  And what a difference a year makes … or does it? This time last year, banks and their customers were busy determining who had passed certain thresholds (determining who would be classified as NFC or NFC+), along with implementing confirmation processes


Europe trade reporting: fines for all?

By Sam Tyfield and JWG. We asked a prominent city lawyer what current EMIR reporting issues could mean if the regulators chose to get nasty.  The bottom line: big fines could appear on the cards years down the line.  Given where we are with current data quality efforts, this might have an impact on the


JWG analysis. Once MiFIR is enacted over the coming months, there will no doubt be a lot of concern about one little word that threatens to have a serious impact on the commercial operations of many service providers in Europe. That word is ‘reasonable’. By itself, the word reasonable seems harmless. But when used as


Insights into EMIR trade reporting

JWG co-hosted a webinar earlier this week, along with Banking Technology and the DTCC, examining the recently launched EMIR trade reporting regime.  The conversation tackled a range of issues, including challenges faced by industry participants in getting ready for the 12 February launch date, and a look ahead to future milestones in the reporting regime.


The OTC dilemma: is the data awesome?

JWG analysis. There is a new film making the rounds where the evil ‘Lord Business’ locks up all the master builders in a think-tank and uses them to design his empire. Quite apart from giving JWG analysts a lot to laugh about, it’s a useful theme when exploring what is going on with OTC trade


JWG analysis. If you’re reading this post, then it’s more than likely you are in one of the many job roles that are impacted by financial regulation.  Whether you are directly involved as COO or a legal, compliance, governance or risk officer, or indirectly involved in an operational, IT or business capacity, it’s clear that


JWG analysis. “When a tree falls in the woods, does it make a noise?” While some may find the question trivial, it has provided much food for thought for philosophers since it was first raised in the early 1700s. The answer to the question relies on one’s assumptions on whether observation is a necessary condition


AMLD IV adds fuel to KYC utility model

JWG analysis. The European Parliament recently published (here) the latest amended text of the proposed 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD IV), which includes measures to help simplify the way firms conduct KYC today, and adds weight to the KYC utility business model by requiring the industry to maintain accurate and timely data on beneficial ownership.


Putting the ‘PRA’ in suPRAnational

JWG analysis. The Prudential Regulation Authority last week published a consultation paper that threatens to impose stricter requirements on international banks operating UK-based branches. The new proposals have been designed to ‘ensure the stability of the UK financial system’ by promoting ‘safety and soundness’, including requirements for increased transparency, resolution measures to protect investors and


Transparency: the new wonder drug?

JWG analysis. MiFID II and its regulatory cousin, MiFIR, have some lofty ambitions for European securities and derivatives markets.  And one of their most clearly stated goals is to enhance market transparency by bringing about changes to market practices, and potentially even market structures. The problem is that, while transparency may be seen as a


ESMA publishes 3rd country CCP list

JWG analysis. ESMA has published an updated list of non-EEA central counterparties (CCPs) that have applied for recognition under Article 25 of EMIR. ESMA has taken care to note that the list is not exhaustive and only includes applicants that have agreed to have their name mentioned. Those CCPs that pass the approval process will be permitted


JWG analysis. The road to mandate trading of OTC derivatives on electronic trading platforms will be long but, without a harmonised approach on both sides of the Atlantic, the process will be fraught with challenges. Although the core principles and requirements for Swap Execution Facilities (SEFs) were articulated by the CFTC at the beginning of


JWG analysis. The Fed made some concessions in timing and scope, but pressed ahead with measures to insulate the US financial sector from future bailouts earlier this week.  The news stoked fears that European regulators may look to reciprocate, triggering a race to the highest common denominator when it comes to determining capital buffers, and potentially


MiFID II: now under starter’s orders

JWG analysis. The first 700 of 18,000 pages of MiFID II texts have now been published, a little more than a month after the European Commission announced agreement in the trilogue process, but this milestone foreshadows a confused standards landscape that will stretch forward to implementation of the regulations and directives in 2016. For those


JWG analysis. EU and US taxpayers scratched their heads in disbelief this week as the regulators made it painfully clear that they have squandered both years and billions with little to show for it. The politicians that gathered in Pittsburgh were quite explicit – they want OTC transparency.  Did they expect that, nearly five years


Trade data: seeing through the smoothie

JWG analysis. When G20 leaders met in Pittsburgh back in September 2009, there was clear consensus on the direction that the financial industry needed to take in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.  Transparency was a key theme. The view was that, by mandating industry-wide reporting obligations for OTC derivatives, regulators would be armed


JWG analysis. Until the world has a definitive LEI, we are going to have to recognise that piecemeal adoption brings with it significant hidden costs in validating, enriching and mapping for regulatory purposes. LEI watchers have been encouraged to see Saudi Arabia and Italy joining the fold in the past month.  They might be just


EU to change IP laws within four years

By Sam Tyfield.  In November 2013, the EU Commission published a draft Directive on “the protection of undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure”. All else being equal, we may expect the Directive to be put into national laws within the next four years. Notwithstanding the extended timetable,


JWG analysis. With the 12 February EMIR trade reporting deadline just around the corner, the atmosphere in the derivatives industry suggests just as much turmoil as ever. Issues surrounding LEI registration, UTI reconciliation and trade repository affiliations persist as the rush to comply with mandatory reporting rules begins.  The industry is still grappling with issues that


JWG analysis. In late October, the European Banking Authority (EBA) released a consultation on the use of the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) for CRD IV’s risk reporting requirements.  Now that the consultation phase has been concluded, firms may only have around 60 days to register LEIs for all their entities that report under CRD IV.


By Conor Foley, Hume Brophy.  This alert summarises the key provisions of the proposed Regulation on structural measures improving resilience of EU credit institutions (SBR proposal) and the proposed Regulation on reporting and transparency of securities financing transactions (TSFT proposal). Both proposals were published on 29 January by the European Commission and follow the 2012


JWG analysis. With 9 working days to go before compulsory reporting of derivatives trades becomes a daily reality, firms are in the final phases of implementing their individual solutions.  These differ from firm-to-firm, for example some are planning to report in real-time (as in the US), while others plan to report later within the T+1


JWG analysis. According to the notice released on Thursday, the FCA has fined Standard Bank £7,640,400 for failings in its AML systems and controls relating to its treatment of corporate customers connected to politically exposed persons (PEPs). This notice is particularly relevant given that the FSA’s thematic reviews in 2010 found that “more than a


JWG analysis. The new political drive towards tax transparency is landing in money laundering legislation, and complicating an already complex landscape. G8 Leaders, as a result of the summit held in June last year, committed to publishing ‘action plans’ setting out the concrete steps they will take to combat tax evasion. It appears that those


This time next year, the market is going to be a very different place.  No-one knows the complete, consolidated impact of regulation on the market, and many of the parts are still in motion, but the core structure is starting to take shape. In Europe, our research tells us that most institutions are opening 2014


Working late into Tuesday night, European lawmakers concluded a compromise over the new Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II).  The final text has not yet been made public, and is not expected for several days.  However, some details have emerged. Concessions had to be made on both sides, with the Parliament advocating for robust