Archive

In an effort to add value, banks are looking to integrate themselves deeper into the corporate supply chain. But as Shayla Walmsley discovers, before they allow the banks in, corporates want a clear exit strategy and are adamant they don’t want to be locked in a ‘loveless’ relationship.

Finding an end-to-end solution for accounts receivable and accounts payable services is just one of the challenges Deutsche Bank newcomer Marilyn Spearing faces as she breaks down historical silos between the trade finance and cash management businesses.

Costing the earth. IT infrastructures continue to grow, causing environmental pressures at a time when corporate fuel bills are soaring. But most firms are IT-inefficient. Time for an audit, says Kosten Metreweli.

Increased use of voice over IP technology is enabling banks to rethink their approach to disaster recovery – but the move also creates new risks, says Neil Baker.

Beware of Hackers. Web services may be all the rage – but they carry huge security risks, warns Steve Craggs. The ideal world would appear to be an SOA in which every component is available as a web service to be combined into composite applications and re-used. But a serious problem is starting to raise its head – security.

Putting data on the map.  Heat mapping provides a highly visual way of viewing real-time market information and spotting historical trends as JPMorgan’s investment bank discovered.

Tibco Software's Business Studio. A package that not only helps in the design of business processses, but simulates and previews them in action.

In the last five to 10 years, SWIFT has evolved into more than a network and financial messaging provider. With the migration to its IP-based network SWIFTNet completed, financial service providers and their customers; treasury and investment managers; are looking to not only recoup their investment in SWIFTNet, but also leverage some of the value-added capabilities around the IP-based network. Commonly referred to as SWIFTSolutions, these capabilities enshrine services around real-time interactive messaging (SWIFTNet InterAct), bulk file transfer capabilities (SWIFTNet FileAct), connectivity for cor- porates and investment managers, interoperable XML-based standards, cash reporting and exceptions and investigations.

The ties that bind us.  In an effort to add value, banks are looking to integrate themselves deeper into the corporate supply chain. But as Shayla Walmsley discovers, before they allow the banks in, corporates want a clear exit strategy and are adamant they don’t want to be locked in a ‘loveless’ relationship.

As investment managers develop a healthy appetite for derivatives, Mark Pelham discovers that some securities services providers are struggling to service that appetite.

(Photo = Kirit Bhatia, Product Manager,
JPMorgan Chase Worldwide Securities Services).

Contrary to popular belief, where your data centre is located has little effect on latency rates, as Alan McNee discovers.

Defining and automating business processes is one thing, but as David Longworth discovers, a number of integration vendors see SOA as a means of tying together the systems and services that underpin business process management.

Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange both recently acquired major electronic communication network providers in an attempt to annex a piece of the action. Mark Pelham writes that this could be the start of an ongoing and lively free-for-all in the virtual trading space.

While most market participants support the overall objectives of SEPA; common payment instruments, standards and infrastructure and reduced costs for end-users; there are subtle yet important differences in terms of how SEPA is perceived by various participants and the level of services it should encompass. In this special focus on SEPA, financial-i invited leading industry figures from the regulatory, banking, corporate and payments clearing communities to present their vision of SEPA and how it will impact their business.

In June 2006 Financial i brought together leading data management vendors and consultants to discuss how Enterprise Data Management (EDM) can help companies address a range of regulatory, risk management and competitive pressures. The participants were: Marc Odho, managing director, EDM, SunGard; Michael Meriton, president and CEO, GoldenSource; Hubert Holmes, executive vice president, Cicada; David Paris, senior manager, BearingPoint; and Ken Rugg, vice-president, Real Time Data Services, Progress Software.

As head of business continuity management at the Financial Services Authority (FSA), John Milne is responsible for ensuring the UK’s core financial services infrastructure is robust enough to survive a major event. He talks to financial-iabout the FSA’s benchmarking of UK financial institutions’ business continuity planning and its preference for non-regulation.

Best known for building the EBA’s STEP 2 platform for processing low value cross-border euro payments, Milan-based SIA has built payment systems since 1977. SIA’S CEO, Renzo Vanetti spoke to financial-iabout its plans for SEPA.

Rocket Science it ain't. Straight-through processing can be straight-forward by de-fragmenting what has gone before, says Donald Davis.