It has been a very busy 2021 and it is a very noisy financial services regulatory marketplace. JWG is pleased to be helping to contextualise the strategic issues in play with a new podcast series called RegCast which you can access here.   So what is RegCast? RegCast is an industry spotlight on the business


Digital regulatory reporting – tipping point 2021

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Digital regulatory reporting – tipping point 2021 By PJ Di Giammarino, CEO JWG Group New JWG research has found supervisors to be focused on creating new standards for interpreting complex data needs in 2021 as the industry hits a tipping point for in its quest for digital standards that simplify complex regulatory reporting obligations. Global


Collaboration to finally realize GFC reforms via digitalization The good news about compliance is that financial firms are finally getting the last generation of G20 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) regulations under control, said PJ Di Giammarino, CEO of JWG, a financial regulation think-tank based in London. The not so good news is that the industry


L’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), France’s financial markets regulator, has created a Data and Surveillance Directorate as part of a wider reorganisation announced earlier this month. Its establishment comes as a handful of regulators pursue digital realignment programmes, but the AMF appears to be ahead of the pack in establishing a new division, building data


   Donna Bales, Co-Founder and Member of the Board of the Canadian RegTech Association and PJ Di Giammarino, Founder and CEO of JWG Group were honoured to participate in the Canadian Institute’s 26th Annual Flagship Conference on Regulatory Compliance for Financial Institutions. The trans-Atlantic debate, ‘Assessing 10 Opportunities in the RegTech, FinTech and the


The European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) extensive proposed guidance to the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) could force the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to make some early decisions to diverge from the regime. “One of the questions is what does the FCA really think about the MAR review? This is where the rubber begins


Gentrifying The Wild West

Can suptech take DeFi to the next level? As technology-driven decentralised finance (or DeFi) grows in popularity and market value, it appears that a battle is brewing between DeFi protocols and regulators. But can technological tools in the hands of regulators head this off at the pass? A reasoned, transitional approach to compliance, along with


The global regulatory community has put its support behind digital regulatory reporting (DRR) initiatives acknowledging supervisors require the ability to collect better quality data more efficiently. The Bank of International Settlements (BIS), the European Commission, the European Banking Authority (EBA), the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the U.S.’s Federal


Key surveillance takeaways from the MAR review

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By PJ Di Giammarino and Sam Tyfield, Partner, Shoosmiths. The MAR review report was finally released on 23 September and clocked in at 276 pages. It raises a number of key issues for senior management at financial institutions, already struggling to form a holistic view of their communications surveillance obligations under COVID. The extensive review


Sabre rattling: Trade surveillance, RegTech and COVID obligations

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By Sam Tyfield, Partner, Shoosmiths. On 12 October, a speech by Julia Hoggett, FCA’s Director of Market Oversight, was published here. She speaks of having “rattled [her] sabre” about market abuse and surveillance. She started with some good news; activity the FCA regards as abusive, manipulative or insider dealing has not changed, so far as


SupTech update: Digital Regulatory Reporting is here 

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By: PJ Di Giammarino  After a decade of data challenges, Regulators are now taking cautious steps towards new reporting technology. New reports issued this month show that DRR finally has traction and that demand for better solutions is high as the industry pinpoints which areas to deploy it.   We may finally be at a tipping point for both transactional and prudential data reporting. However, all eyes


UK regulators must endorse a single digital interpretation of European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) reporting rules if the digital regulatory reporting (DRR) work underway with industry collaborators is to succeed. The private sector has engaged and done much of the heavy lifting to prove digital regulatory reporting works for all kinds of business models, said


Author: Rachel Wolcott, Thomson Reuters The European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) derivatives trade reports and Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II transaction reports regulators collect is unlikely to be yielding the market insights required to navigate the COVID-19 crisis. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) 2019/20 annual report and work programme shows EMIR reports’


By Corrina Stokes  RegBeacon illuminates the path for JWG’s third decade  It is with pride that we publish the first update from our third decade of working collaboratively to enable better, faster, cheaper and safer regulatory change within Financial Services.  It is staggering to step back and look at the breadth of our research agenda. Last year we dove into AML,


By PJ Di Giammarino, CEO JWG   Key points: In 2019 JWG tracked 204,469 pages with 60 million words on FS regulatory reform 8 RegTech discussions require senior management attention now and will be debated under Chatham house rule with audience Q&A 6+ regulators, 12+ firms and 8 tech SMEs will debate winning strategies and


By PJ Di Giammarino, CEO JWG and Chair RegTech Council   Key points: Regulators are being hampered in their risk oversight duties by poor data quality and over £100m in fines were issued in 2019 for poor reports EU and UK regulators are out in front of global efforts to correct the rocky start on


We are pleased to be able to share the recording of our Webinar: Regulatory Reporting – It’s Time for a Rethink: Capital Markets Best Practice for 2019 from 15 January. During Q4 2018, JWG, in conjuncture with industry leading RegTech firm, Inforalgo, conducted in-depth interviews with senior executives from 12 global financial institutions to obtain insight


Regulatory Reporting: Time for a Rethink

Our research in partnership with Inforalgo, the Capital Markets data automation specialist, shows that after years of ‘making do’, financial institutions are now proactively ramping up their regulatory compliance capabilities to cope with intensifying global requirements – and the significant additional demands of MiFID II. In January we will be running a webinar which will


Q1 19 RegBeacon published

As we enter the year in which we will celebrate the 10th birthday of the G20 plan to make our financial services sector safe we wonder whether we are making enough progress? Armies of compliance staff are now required to run the firm and the standing armies are brought on in to help with the


New JWG research has found 374 ‘legislative initiatives’ targeted at financial services due in the next three years globally and regulators are increasingly less tolerant of poor data quality which is ever more crucial in demonstrating compliance. Thanks to MarkLogic, we are pleased to be able to host a global discussion on our findings. Come


With MiFID II now (mostly) implemented, what trade and transaction reporting initiatives will firms have on the agenda for 2018 and beyond? We list some of the key items below: It is estimated that the final revised text of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) under the REFIT programme will be published at end of


In our previous article Trade Surveillance: restructuring the business landscape[1] we identified how holistic regulatory requirements are forcing banks to re-consider the makeup of their operational structures. Our follow-up research has revealed the severity of the situation and how the industry is reacting too slowly. Trade surveillance, if not executed correctly, can result in financial


At this year’s RegTech Capital Markets Conference a debate took place on the benefits of using RegTech for trade surveillance in the context of the evolving technical landscape, led by expert industry professionals on compliance and surveillance. Taking into consideration the volume and quality of data firms are expected to monitor, whether the current system


Following a successful seventh reporting and reference data special interest group (RRDS 7) at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 13 February 2018, participants met for the usual post-RRDS drinks and networking session. At one point during the evening, we found ourselves mediating a friendly debate between two senior compliance officers on the post-trade reporting


RegTech and trading: re-gaining control

For years the industry has been at work on the construction site of MiFID II. This has produced a building of basic structural integrity, but one that remains incomplete, and one that has required such a singular focus that surrounding constructions have been neglected. MiFID II is one of the biggest regulatory changes since the


Both MiFID II and MAR have completely changed the regulatory landscape in terms of voice communication surveillance. Both pieces of regulation place a greater emphasis on firms to monitor the surveillance controls that they implement, and also introduce new holistic trade surveillance requirements that, in turn, have driven the development of new, innovative, RegTech solutions.


In July 2017 we drew on RegDelta’s database of regulatory documents to estimate that MiFID and MiFID II accounted for 1.4m paragraphs of rules, guidance and policy. That figure drew gasps from the industry press but we were clear it was inevitably going to rise further. We have now calculated that just under 300,000 paragraphs have been added in the second half of 2017 – a slight pickup in pace since


Two years after its Call for Evidence determining whether EU regulation is fit for purpose, the European Commission (EC) has found that automation and standardisation should ultimately pave the way towards reducing the regulatory burden for the industry – improving law making in the EU. This means that reporting experts and RegTech providers of all


London, UK – 06 December 2017 – Over the last two weeks JWG, the trusted industry expert in regulatory intelligence, has been participating in a reporting TechSprint organised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Bank of England (BoE). The successful Sprint was set up to explore the potential for model-driven, machine executable regulation with


JWG to help upgrade regulatory reporting

JWG, the trusted industry expert in regulatory intelligence, today announced that it will be joining this Autumn’s reporting TechSprint convened by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Bank of England (BoE) which will explore the potential for model-driven, machine executable regulation. This TechSprint will see if a regulatory requirement, written and released by the FCA,


SFTR: challenges and changes down the road

Challenges are on the horizon for firms subject to the Securities Financing Transactions Regulation enforced through the European Commission.  The Securities Financing Transactions Regulation, or SFTR, was announced back in 2014 and entered into force on 12 January 2016.  It is geared to be fully implemented by 2019 with the last phase in occurring during


Let’s face it, getting data right is never easy and, with MiFID II’s drive for transparency kicking into high gear, the risks of getting reporting wrong are greater than ever. With additional reporting regime change coming next year, why not make your life easier and join in the industry RegTech collaborations in this space? Recognise the risks Trade and transaction reporting fines come with


Latest RegBeacon published

As we head into the final MiFID II implementation straight we publish our latest RegBeacon, but our message to the industry is that the ‘end’ is far from sight. We are becoming firm believers that there will be more work done to deliver this set of changes after the due date, than in the run


Since President Trump’s signing of Executive Order 13772 back in February 2017, the Financial CHOICE Act has passed through the House of Representatives with a 233 to 186 vote.  The substantial bill that was approved by the House, referred to as FCA 2.0, included new additions that have built upon and contradicted some actions from


With MiFID II’s implementation date of 3 January 2018 fast approaching, investment firms need to prepare for the changes that will be brought about by the EU’s flagship regulatory policy. All-encompassing in its scope, MiFID II will implement regulatory changes that will impact the trading of all financial instruments. In an attempt to fulfil the


With only 3 months left before the implementation of MiFID II, on 28 August 2017 the European Commission published a delegated regulation which added to the definition of a systematic internaliser.  Under MiFID I, the SI regime was limited to equities transactions but, under MiFID II, it has an increased scope.  A systematic internaliser is an


Following one of the Trump administration’s financial executive orders, the US Treasury Department issued a report which calls for regulators to streamline reporting obligations and review their coordination efforts, incorporating greater accountability and clarity into examination procedures and data collection requirements. The request mirrors commentary from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, who, during his


The implementation of trade and transaction reporting was intended to improve transparency and mitigate systematic risk in the derivatives markets. To achieve this, global leaders have committed to implement standards globally and consistently in a way that ensures a level playing field – reducing market fragmentation and regulatory arbitrage.  Whilst progress has been made on


Commodity derivative trading is just one of the many topic areas under MiFID II that firms need to ensure they are prepared for before 3 January 2018. One set of measurements in this area is that firms will be required to report commodities positions to National Competent Authorities (NCAs) on a daily basis. Another is


In the eight years since the G20’s Pittsburgh summit, regulatory forces have reshaped the complexity of market infrastructure.  Unfortunately, there has not been a corresponding increase in the maturity level of industry engagement between the public and private sector. The current landscape for regulatory reporting is riddled with complexity – made evident by waves of


JWG announce 12 July MiFID Webinar

In our previous article we announced some of the key findings from our recent buy-side focused MiFID survey. Now we are pleased to announce a webinar on 12 July to review and analyse the results in more depth with a panel of experts. The webinar will aim to present new survey findings to help inform


90% of buy-side firms believe they are at either high or medium risk of not being compliant by the January 2018 deadline, despite this date having already been delayed by a year. Significantly, with just over six months to go, a large amount of the industry appears to be overstretched and under-prepared. It is imperative


One of the many weaknesses that the financial crisis exposed was the feeble transparency framework in financial markets.  In response, MiFID II and MiFIR built on the regulatory agenda of the G20 by aiming to strengthen the transparency framework of markets in financial instruments, including OTC trading. Building on MiFID I, the second incarnation extends


16 May 2017 signalled the end of the European Commission’s public consultation period on the operations of the European Supervisory Authorities.  The purpose of the outreach was to gather market evidence on the progress of the ESAs towards their objectives for short, medium and long-term stability and the effectiveness of the financial system. JWG brought


JWG are pleased to announce the launch of an independent benchmark survey {link} investigating the approach asset managers are taking to transform their operating models to be MiFID II compliant. MiFID II will be the biggest regulatory change since the 2008 financial crisis.  It is a complex and interconnected beast that will affect your business


In fewer than 230 days – 7.5 working months from now, the biggest regulatory change since the 2008 financial crisis is set to come into force.  The legislation, Markets in Financial Instruments Directive/Regulation (MiFID II/R), is one of Europe’s most ambitious and far-reaching financial reforms and is estimated to cost the financial industry billions to


On 31 January 2017, ESMA published a consultation paper seeking feedback by the end of Q1 on its draft guidelines regarding the transfer of data between trade repositories (TRs) and it is expected to publish the final report on these guidelines by the end of Q2/beginning of Q3 of 2017. The three main reasons for


The sheer number of overlapping regulatory reporting regimes makes compliance difficult. MiFID II, which comes into effect in January 2018, significantly expands the scope of transaction reporting. EMIR, which is a reporting regime for derivative transactions under the EU regulation on OTC derivatives, CCPs and trade repositories, came into effect on 10 April 2014. Reporting


JWG are proud to announce that registrations for our second RegTech Conference on 28 February 2017 have topped 300 from over 50 firms, regulators, standards bodies and leading technology companies. After five years and hundreds of articles from our analysts on www.regtechfs.com and 47 special interest group meetings on regulatory implementation in 2016 alone, we


On 21 January 2017, the European Commission (EC) published a delegated regulation and an implementing regulation in the Official Journal amending the RTS and ITS on the minimum details of the data to be reported to trade repositories under EMIR. One of the key changes made by the EC includes defining how to identify and classify


A busy December for financial regulation!

Never mind a busy December, all in all, it was a busy year for financial regulation as shown in one of our previous articles, as 384 regulatory documents were captured and uploaded in our trade and transaction RegDelta library. MiFID II Before Christmas, we saw ESMA publish many documents much like in January 2016 with


Getting MiFID II right the first time

Transparency is the cornerstone of MiFID II. Whether it’s pricing, product or process transparency, participants will need to pull back the curtains to make more information public regarding the nature of their operations, products and services. Consequently, investment firms will need to know more about their clients than ever before, with very little margin for


On 19 December 2016, ESMA published its Q&A paper on the topic of commodity derivatives within MiFID II and MiFIR.  The document focuses on the promotion of supervisory approaches and practices for the application of position limits, position reporting and ancillary activity provisions.  It also provides clarity on the technicalities of the policy and the


Data reporting under MiFIR

Just before the Christmas break, as part of its quick-fire release of numerous important updates, ESMA published a new Questions and Answers document that covers MiFIR data reporting.  Broken down into two separate sections, the document looks specifically at (i) LEI of the issuer and (ii) date and time of the request of admission and


On 16 December 2016, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published their fourth and final consultation paper (CP) on implementing MiFID II regulations into domestic regulation by 3 July 2017, which will be applied to firms from 3 January 2018.  MiFID II aims to bolster competition in the EU’s financial market by creating a single market


Merry Christmas from Team JWG!

2016 has added tens of thousands of new regulatory pages to the pile, which has kept us, at JWG, very busy boys and girls. Unlike the last decade, however this year has been about unexpected twists and turns in the road: It’s been a year of MiFID II/R panic, implementation delays, regulators waking up to


Transaction reporting can be a difficult regulatory requirement to get right and compliance can be even more complicated due to multiple overlapping transaction reporting regimes, which all serve slightly different purposes and have varying structures. This article looks at the transaction reporting requirements under four key regulations: MiFID II, EMIR, REMIT and SFTR. The first


In our preceding article about ISINs, we explored the pursuit of a universal OTC identifier, and discussed what has occurred in Europe to fix this gap in the financial industry.  The Association of National Numbering Agencies (ANNA) created the ANNA Derivatives Service Bureau, which is based on an automated ISIN allocation engine and is scheduled


Tom Groenfeldt of Forbes has been speaking to PJ Di Giammarino, CEO of JWG, about the FCA’s recent TechSprint event and how technology can be leveraged to automate compliance. The event, which took place on the 9 and 10 of November, is part of the FCA’s broader mission, Project Innovate. This initiative has been designed to foster innovation


In order to comply with the latest regulations, firms must manage their transaction reporting obligations.  A unified transaction reporting regime across the European Union (EU) was first introduced when MiFID I came into force in 2007 with the objective of detecting and investigating potential market abuses.  With MiFID II implementation set for January 2018, transaction


Following on from part 1 of this article, where we highlighted the benefits of the MiFID II Implementation Group (MIG) and how it has helped members better understand and develop solutions to key MiFID II/R issues, with a particular focus on those surrounding systematic internalisers, we take a similar approach in this article and examine


ISIN: The quest for an OTC identifier

OTC derivatives, unlike other financial instruments, have never really had a product identifier. Since as early as 2014, regulators’ high expectations for a detailed product identifier for OTC derivatives have caused consternation amongst industry experts as retooling the current infrastructure to the new specifications is an enormous task that could result in hundreds of billions


After an action-packed two days of innovative ideas, collaborative spirit and technical expertise, JWG, are pleased to report that our participation at the FCA’s TechSprint event was an exciting, informative and rewarding experience. Held on 9 and 10 November, the event focused on the issue of ‘Unlocking Regulatory Reporting’ using RegTech solutions. We were specifically


With the FCA’s commitment to innovation and to becoming a global leader in the development and adoption of RegTech solutions, JWG is excited to announce that we have been invited to participate in their upcoming TechSprint event. Held across two days, on the 9 and 10 November, the event, which focuses on the topic of


Last month, JWG were pleased to participate in the Trusted Open Data Environments 2016 conference in Poznan, Poland, which was attended by data specialists from a variety of regulatory agencies, academics, practitioners and FinTech entrepreneurs. It was a full day of hot topics, including international standardisation, Initial Coin Offerings and data reporting.  So, what did


In December 2015, ESMA published a consultation paper on transaction reporting, order record keeping and clock synchronisation.  Shortly after, we summarised the 10 key issues from the MiFID II guidelines for transaction reporting.  Now, having considered the issues raised in the responses to the consultation paper, ESMA has published its guidelines. Considering the key topics


Latest edition of RegBeacon published

We are pleased to publish the latest copy of our newsletter, RegBeacon. In this edition we look back on a quarter that saw us take major steps forward with our regulatory change management platform, RegDelta, host more than 10 industry working groups and agree to host another crucial conference on RegTech. As politicians, courts, regulators


The Securities Financing Transitions Regulation (SFTR) has been introduced in the light of the G20’s agenda to address concerns of the build-up of leverage and pro-cyclicality which can be caused by securities transactions. Article 29(3) of SFTR specifically asks ESMA along with European Banking Authority (EBA) and European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) to help ESMA


As time ticks on in the implementation delay for MiFID II, regulators and firms are moving closer towards mutual understanding and delivery. There are still many creases to be ironed out in the run up to January 2018, especially with regards to transaction reporting, which is a major pain point for many firms. This article


There is no hiding that securities financing transactions, thanks to their role in the financial crisis of 2007-2008, do not have a good reputation.  The Financial Stability Board’s policy framework seeks to address SFTs’ complex and opaque nature through increased transparency of these products to allow clients a more accurate assessment of where to invest


Key regulatory themes for 2016

So far 2016 has been one of the most contentious years since the G20 agreed the regulatory reform agenda seven years ago. With ever-rising costs, increasingly more severe penalties, and continued issues with data quality, it would be easy to claim the plans conceived in the wake of the crisis are not going to get


The phase-in for central counterparty clearing (CCP) for certain Over-the-Counter (OTC) derivative contracts began in 21 June 2016 for certain contracts, with many more soon to follow, until all in-scope contracts are subject to the obligations by 9 August 2019. The European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) requires certain classes of OTC derivative contracts to be


The great financial climate change

The 2016 edition of the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risks Report lists “failure of climate-change mitigation and adaptation” as the greatest risk facing the world over the next 10 years.  That was the collective judgment of 742 surveyed experts and decision makers drawn from business, academia, civil society and the public sector. Last year’s


Data standards was one of several key themes at the JWG RegTech Capital Markets Conference on 5 July 2016. Conversations about regulatory data standards centre on the need for alignment of data obligations and standards, data protection issues, infrastructure legacy issues and the acquisition and ownership of clean, valid and robust data that can be


By January 2018, European legislation will have significantly changed the financial services sector. The sheer volume of transactions, products and firms affected by new regulation means that we can say goodbye to the trading landscape we currently know. In particular, new rules under MiFID II will impact how and where market participants execute trades. All


The revised European Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) looms over the regulatory horizon like an oncoming storm in the financial services industry. Aiming to improve the safety and transparency of financial markets, MiFID II reaches far beyond investment banks, impacting asset managers, commodity firms and OTC brokers and dealers too.  In terms of


Plumbing the reporting infrastructure

At JWG’s RegTech conference, now less than a month away, our second panel* will bring experts together to discuss the matter of aligning reporting obligations using RegTech to ease the regulatory burden. Panellists confirmed so far include Adedayo Banwo (Legal Counsel at Deutsche Bank, London Branch, former Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at


DerivSource and JWG podcast on Brexit

Last week, JWG had the pleasure of taking part in a podcast to discuss the recent publication of our Brexit research paper.  Hosted by Julia Schieffer from DerivSource, the podcast, which can be found here, takes an in-depth look at some of the most pertinent issues raised in the report. The discussion focused on the


With 23 June just around the corner and a vote deciding the future of the UK in the EU on the horizon, we at JWG have issued a ground-breaking report today – Brexit: changing out the engine of finance. The report finds significant technical and leadership challenges ahead in the event of a decision to


ESMA updates RTS on position limits

On Monday the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published opinions on the Regulatory Technical Standards for position limits (RTS 21) and non-equity transparency (RTS 20) under MiFID II, in response to the Commission’s request to ESMA in April to modify the draft RTS issued in September 2015. This article will detail the updates on


JWG’s recent series on the emerging regulatory barriers and issues in FinTech, does an excellent job of setting forth the main issues for what is sure to be a busy few years of calibration for regulatory compliance and reporting. The emergence of RegTech, roughly the ways in which the adoption of new technologies can help


A brief exchange of correspondence between regulators over the last fortnight has brought aspects of MiFID II’s regulatory technical standards back into question. On 14 March, a letter from the European Commission to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), seen by Reuters, requested that the technical standards on position limits be rewritten, with the


The new regime for transaction reporting, being introduced under MiFID II, represents a significant overhaul and expansion of what is currently required by MiFID I.  On 9 March, as part of their two-year programme on MiFID II, City & Financial Global held a highly topical event on transaction reporting under MiFID II. The last City


In our two previous articles, we mentioned that, despite the technology existing to enable ‘good regulatory practice’, the market has failed to overcome the four main barriers.  Why? In short, while we have a strong chorus of support from the side-lines, the regulators are only just now beginning to take on the job of making


Newsflash: you may be an ARM!

The “MiFID II/MiFIR & EMIR Reporting” conference last week in London was well attended by hardened reporting stalwarts, well used to moving technical mountains in order to deliver the billions of trade and transaction reports submitted by the industry every week.  Normally, not much phases this crowd, but one regulatory revelation managed just that. During


Earlier this month, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) released two key documents detailing its supervisory plans and priorities for 2016.  Whilst these publications primarily identify areas of focus for the current year, they also highlight the shortfalls in terms of promoting sound, efficient and consistent supervision across the European Union. The first, published


With the MiFID II delay finally official, implementation teams received the good news that they had been waiting for patiently for months.  But now is not the time to rest on their laurels. Completing all of the work required to change technology systems, policies and procedures in line with MiFID II was considered an impossibility


It’s official! MiFID II is delayed

After months of rumour and speculation, The European Commission has today finally spoken out on the delay of MiFID II.  The Commission has announced a 1-year extension to the implementation, making the new deadline 3 January 2018. In justifying their decision, The Commission cites “the complex technical infrastructure that needs to be set up for


In December of 2015, the European Parliament released a report “on stocktaking and challenges of EU financial services regulation” and, on Tuesday 19 January, the text was adopted by a majority vote of the Parliament in Strasbourg. So, what does it say? Compiled by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON), the report assesses


In the past month, we’ve celebrated the holiday season and brought in the new year, but there has been no rest for the wicked and regulators have been busy scrambling to meet deadlines and push out new regulatory documents.  In the period before Christmas, we witnessed a lot of developments and it’s safe to say


JWG were pleased to participate in a MiFID II webinar led by DerivSource this week. As you can see, by clicking on our presentation below, MiFID II is rekindling industry debate about the right approach to sharing billions of transaction reports across Europe. MiFID II/ MiFIR turns up the operational and technical heat, not just


LEI: to renew or not to renew

2015 has been a year of genuine progress for the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) project. It is fair to say that it would not have been particularly difficult this time last year to find sceptics about whether such a statement could be made at this point. ESMA have been a key driver behind this progress.


With the new year on the horizon, and mounting pressure from our clients, JWG are gearing up for another MiFID II implementation training course.  Given all the current talk about a potential delay, it would be easy to sit back and breathe a sigh of relief.  However, that would be a big mistake.  There is


SFTs: out of the shadows and into the light

The final text for the new regulation on the reporting and transparency of securities financing transactions has been finalised after the Parliament adopted the text of the regulation at its first reading on 29 October. The Council subsequently adopted the text on 16 November and now the industry needs to prepare itself for yet another


ESMA officially come out for MiFID II delay

Yesterday, ESMA published a note – originally from 2 October – regarding the potential for a delay to MiFID II.  The note is categorical in its support of a delay to the MiFID II framework, and it will only further fuel the flames of those screaming for more time.  Below are some key highlights from


Last week, the Regulatory Oversight Committee (ROC) published their report on the progress the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) has made since its proposal in 2011 as a solution to transparency, organisation and risk aggregation in the financial industry. The report is split into five sections: (1) Completion of the Global Legal Entity Identifier System (GLEIS)


Julia Schieffer, the founder and editor of DerivSource.com, recently interviewed PJ Di Giammarino, CEO of JWG Group, on some of the key stumbling blocks of MiFID II requirements. Extracts from the interview detailing issues on reference data, the transparency principle and how financial institutions are implementing changes can be seen below. The full transcript and


The MiFID framework is venturing into unchartered territory as European legislators aim to place new restrictions on commodity markets.  This element of MiFID II has been one of the most contentious parts of a highly controversial process.  In light of the recent publication of the Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) by ESMA, we look at five