Looming regulatory deadlines – such as the impending roll-out of Europe’s Securities Financing Transactions Regulation (SFTR) – are rarely welcomed by compliance teams at buy- and sell-side firms. But the introduction of this complex and far-reaching regulation, starting April 2020, offers market participants a significant opportunity. Firms that have so far adopted a tactical approach … Continued

Technology has done much to increase cost transparency in recent years, yielding considerable power – and savings – to consumers. Price comparison websites, for example, make it easy for us to weigh the costs of regular household expenditure items – from holidays to utility services to home insurance – across multiple providers. Behind the technology … Continued

CSS regulatory compliance expert Greg Hotaling and product manager of CSS substantial shareholder and position limit monitoring solution Signal Mike Marmo discuss threshold monitoring trends in Europe, and what to expect from ever-changing major shareholding, short position and position limit obligations. The Shareholder Rights Directive, MiFID II, Brexit and other topics are also addressed. Fill … Continued

In order to pay federal taxes, many licensed, regulated, cannabis companies have to launder their cash. Why? Because banks will not open an account for a cannabis business due to cannabis being illegal at the federal level. How exactly then do dispensaries, cultivators, retailers, transportation and other cannabis businesses pay Uncle Sam taxes if they … Continued

One week after the SEC adopted Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS, a Cincinnati roundtable hosted by Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc. Private Funds & Regulatory Compliance Manager Andre Rickman ran through early impressions of the new rules and their accompanying Interpretive Releases with a very interested group. CSS Regulatory Compliance Expert Greg Hotaling opened … Continued

From the C-Suite to the Compliance Seat, executives, senior management, and risk management professionals have a very important role to play in driving their firms towards a more resilient organization.

Securities Financing Transaction Regulation (SFTR) reporting is rapidly taking shape as firms prepare to report with a phased in approach from April 2020. The latest milestone is the publication of ESMA’s draft SFTR Reporting Guidelines in late May. These extensive draft guidelines are subject to a consultation period but even in their current state will … Continued

SFTR is designed to enhance transparency of Securities Finance Transactions (SFTs) for all financial and non-financial EU entities and, branches of non-EU entities. The reporting obligation begins 11 April 2020 for investment firms, followed by a nine-month phased approach for other firms. Need a quick introduction to the key details of the regulation? Download our … Continued

We’re still digesting all the great takeaways from the recent AIMA Global Policy & Regulatory Forum 2019. The theme was “Technology, Innovation, Change,” which is exactly what firms should be focused on this year. In the general session, Jeanette Turner, Chief Regulatory Officer of CSS, led a lively panel on “Technology as a Gamechanger” with … Continued

For compliance teams, pulling it all together is a complex and laborious process fraught with the perils of what might have been missed along the way.

In this case study we explore how traditional transaction cost analysis (TCA) models using alternative benchmarks can accurately identify trades that appear to benefit one account or fund over another.

It’s Friday afternoon, and you’re planning to leave early and get a jump start on your weekend. You receive an email with the subject “Office 365 – Failed Login Attempts – Password Reset Required Immediately!” You wonder who tried to access your account or whether you forgot to logout of your email on the public computer at the hotel business center.

Would you buy a car without taking it for a test drive? It seems obvious you would want to know the vehicle has all its parts, and that those components work together to make the vehicle operate properly.

Guest post by Samson Williams, Partner – Axes & Eggs and Keynote Speaker – Ascendant CSS Spring 2019 Conference  I started telling people that blockchain isn’t hot sauce in mid-2017 to help explain why initial coin offerings (ICOs) were just the latest form of unregulated, online gambling. In November 2017, with Bitcoin nearing a high … Continued