Shareholder recordkeeping managers will soon need to change their procedures and back-office systems to comply with new state regulations and, potentially, a Supreme Court decision affecting unclaimed accounts. The assets in those “lost” accounts can help states close budget deficits, so states will do whatever it takes to get their hands on the money. Delaware […]
EU Benchmarks: Time to Take Inventory
Some middle office and compliance managers will soon have their work cut out for them creating a benchmark inventory management process to show European regulators that they use approved benchmarks. Effective January 1, 2018, the European Benchmark Regulation (BMR) will require that European Union-supervised entities who want to enter into financial contracts or instruments referencing […]
SEC Reporting Rules: Fund Managers’ Recon Challenge
The US Securities and Exchange Commission uses the word modernization when speaking of its new reporting rules for registered investment fund advisers, but that’s not how asset managers see things. They dread the approaching tsunami, according to panelists and attendees at a recent TSAM North America fund management event held in New York. Fund managers […]
(Update) Bloomberg’s FIGIs: Global Accreditation for ID Codes Next?
Editor’s Update: The ballot concerning the FIGI becoming an ISO standard has been cancelled. On July 14, FinOps Report received confirmation from Steve Stevens, executive director of X9. “Bloomberg had requested that X9 ask the TC68 committee to withdraw the ballot from voting,” he said. “The request was agreed to by the X9 and TC68 withdrew the ballot. Since the […]
Cybersecurity: Asset Managers Face Ratings Threat
Regulatory fines aren’t the only thing asset managers need to worry about when it comes to ensuring they have a strong cybersecurity program in place. A new study just released by Moody’s Investors Services about the cybersecurity preparedness of US fund management firms suggests that asset managers could face a credit ratings downgrade if they can’t protect their critical data. That data could include anything […]
Sanctions Compliance: True Match is Hard to Find
Filing suspicious activity reports is hard enough for financial firms, but complying with sanctions is even worse. Matching up a name on a database to a government sanctions list is only the first line of defense against doing business with an individual or corporation or country prohibited by the US or another foreign government. Based on the […]
Compliance Officers: Uniform CFTC and SEC Rules?
What possible difference could a few words make? Apparently a lot for chief compliance officers of large swap dealers, fund managers, and clearing firms. They must be breathing a sigh of relief now that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has proposed to harmonize the rules for CCOs with those of the Securities and Exchange Commission. […]
US Broker Pushes SEC to Make Blockchain Rules
US financial firms, concerned about how to implement blockchain technology without running afoul of future regulations, might soon find some long overdue guidance from the Securities and Exchange Commission. The US regulatory agency has been called to action by Ouisa Capital, a New York broker-dealer that operates an alternative trading system (ATS) for trading unregistered securities. […]
Bloomberg Takes on DTCC in LEI Issuance (Updated)
Editor’s Note (6/2/2017): A spokesman for DTCC has informed FinOps Report that effective June 1, 2017, the GMEI Utility has reduced its fees to US$100 to register an LEI and US$80 to renew an LEI. For those who have questions on how the GMEI Utility can cut its fees so dramatically while meeting the GLEIF’s cost-recovery model, here is what […]
New Tax on US Convertible Bonds: Taxing Air?
The US Internal Revenue Service wants withholding agents to collect tax on upticks of the rights of convertible bondholders, despite protests that the levy is nothing more than “tax on air.” That’s how some tax attorneys and operations specialists view the IRS’ Section 305(c) rule on taxing adjustments to the conversion ratio of US convertible financial instruments, as […]