Be Thankful for Regulation

In 2013, Anthony says it's imperative that firms look at regulatory changes not as a burden, but as an opportunity.

With President Barack Obama's reelection, the Dodd-Frank Act will soldier on. Firms that were taking a "wait-and-see" approach in the hopes that Mitt Romney might unseat the president─and then dismantle Dodd-Frank─are now going to be forced to get back into the game.

But the simple fact of the matter is that 2012 was not the easiest of years as the markets continue to recover at a snail's pace after the roil of 2008, and prognostications for 2013 do not look all that heartwarming. It's likely going to be another tough year.

And if that's the case, wouldn't it make sense that firms continue to tighten budgets and skimp by where possible, and keep waiting until the last minute to get compliant with new regulations? Is it too late to get back into the game?

In the December issue of Waters we address this issue more in-depth, but the simple answer is, no, it's never too late. But the key is for firms to not look at regulations as a patch-and-fix burden. Indeed, it's a pain, but the savviest of firms can use these regs as an excuse to open those tightened purse strings in order to get the firm's data in order.

Also in the soon-to-come December issue of Waters─and of interest to the buy side─Tim Bourgaize Murray sits down with Tom Miglis, the CIO of Citadel Group, as well as Ken Griffin, the firm's founder, and several other top officials to discuss the firm's IT strategy.

Finally, as we head toward the New Year, we'll be looking at trends that will develop and take form in 2013. I'd be interested to hear about what you're seeing. Give me a call (646-490-3973) or shoot me an email (anthony.malakian@incisivemedia.com).