Now that a couple of months have passed since Phase 6 of Uncleared Margin Rules (UMR) was implemented, it’s time to examine some of the lessons learned from this latest stage.
One lesson that stands out is how important it is to use time wisely. Finalizing CSAs (Credit Support Annexes) and ACAs (Account Control Agreements) took more time than expected as such a large number of firms came into scope, with additional delays on custodian accounts and counterparties signing documents. Threshold monitoring can help you avoid delays by giving you the ability to monitor REG IM (Regulatory Initial Margin) values from your broker, which allows for parties to finalize onboarding activities when they are still under the $50 million threshold. This is also a great cost-saver for relationships that may never breach the REG IM threshold or take years to do so.
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Investors need fund managers that can deliver optimal performance regardless of market conditions—something that has become increasingly difficult to achieve in recent years. Many managers may be so focused on the search for alpha that they miss an opportunity to add to their returns through tax-efficient investment strategies. Taxes are among the most influential portfolio performance factors, and as investors become increasingly tax-aware, they expect their managers to optimize their tax positions.
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From role-based training to regulatory requirements, eLearning programs are developed to solve a variety of needs. Compliance programs in particular contain vital information for employees to ensure their understanding of key concepts as well as their role and responsibilities at the firm. Given the importance of this type of training and regulatory requirements, it’s imperative that employees are actively engaged. Here are ten recommended features and functionalities to optimize your compliance training.
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As CECL adoption ramps up and nears completion, many banks—both 2020 and 2023 filers—are looking to validate CECL estimates. And there is no question that this has become a much more cumbersome process with banks facing an unfamiliar economic environment, changing portfolios, and hidden credit losses masked by modifications and government intervention.
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The world’s financial system is vulnerable to malicious activity from fraudsters, identity thieves, terrorists, money launderers, and other criminals. This vulnerability is why regulators have such strict requirements for banks, investment funds, investment managers, fund administrators and other financial entities to validate the identities and intentions of their customers and prospective customers. These customer checks are also known as customer due diligence (CDD).
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After our annual SS&C Deliver Conference, themed “Delivering the Future,” one thing was clear without a crystal ball—intelligent automation is playing prominently in the future success of health and wealth industries.
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Economies worldwide are pursuing the idea of a digital currency issued by central banks, with more than 80 countries acknowledging they are currently investigating the implementation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The U.S. recently announced they’ve also begun exploring a CBDC, although our journey will not follow exactly the same path. Going forward, much attention will be turned to the Federal Reserve; in mid-September 2022, the Treasury Department released a framework for regulating digital assets. According to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, one major objective is to “advance policy and technical work on a potential central bank digital currency, or CBDC."
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Crypto and distributed ledger technology (blockchain) continue to evolve at breakneck speeds. Governments also are fostering this discussion as they investigate implementing their own Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC). More than 80 countries around the world are researching or developing CBDCs, and are at various stages of the investigating process. On January 20, 2022, the U.S. Federal Reserve issued a discussion whitepaper highlighting the features/benefits/risks of such a payment system and acknowledged they are actively investigating it. Some governments have already postponed or canceled projects, while many are still investigating the pros and cons, and others have already launched their own digital currencies.
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