Opinion
Waters Wrap: Dash Financial gets nabbed by Ion (And monetizing data)
Ion Group has acquired Dash Financial. Whether or not this ends up being a good marriage will come down to the people making the tech platforms, Anthony says.
Waters Wrap: The New World of ESG (And GameStop & Interop)
While the Biden administration is already targeting environmental issues with early executive orders, Anthony says that it’s financial giants that will have the greatest effect on ESG investing in the near-term.
Waters Wavelength Podcast: Episode 225 (GameStop)
On this episode of the Wavelength Podcast, Reb Natale joins to talk about the hilarity/stupidity that’s unfolded from the “GameStop/Reddit” controversy. Warning: Rated-R for Language
Waters Wrap: Interop trends that will shape 2021 projects (And silencing the pit)
Anthony brings in some guests to give predictions about what interoperability will look like over the next 12 months and what firms need to start preparing for today.
Waters Wrap: Why Banks Should Start Experimenting with Quantum Today (And ESG’s Next Wave)
If banks want to future-proof against quantum computing disruption, Anthony says they need to start experimenting now. But there’s another reason to start down this path: as Goldman Sach’s William Zeng explains, there’s a lot of funding that’s available…
Crunch Time for Covid-Era Tech
Covid culture is set to continue this year, as are the associated changes to working practices in the financial markets and the technologies that support them. Max wonders what the new ‘virtual’ reality will look like in 2021 and beyond.
Not so Fast: SEC’s SIP Rule Speeds Ahead, But Faces Bumpy Road
Jo is skeptical that the SEC’s finalized market data infrastructure rule will make the public market data feeds faster.
Waters Wrap: App Interop in 2020 (And Tony’s Fave Stories From Last Year)
Anthony takes a look at some of the major projects that involved application interoperability from last year. The list includes feats by Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Barclays, ICE, State Street, Refinitiv, and FactSet.
As the Benefits of Digital Assets Become Harder to Ignore, What’s the Path Forward?
Lisa Iagatta, Isitc chair, says financial institutions have an opportunity to create more efficient processes in areas such as trade settlements through the use of digital assets.
How Will Covid Lessons Reshape Financial Tech in 2021?
As 2020 comes to a close, Anthony looks at how firms have adjusted their short- and long-term plans in the face of the coronavirus, focusing on office space, innovation, alt data, and mental health.
A Very Covid Christmas
It’s almost Dec. 25, which means that Max Bowie is back with his annual market data Christmas-song column.
Waters Wrap: SS&C Advent & Refinitiv Refine Cloud Plans (And Some Fixed Income Bits)
Anthony looks at how two major tech companies in the capital markets space are evolving their cloud strategies and what they might mean for the industry at large.
Waters Wrap: Best-of-Breed or One-Stop-Shop, That is the Question (And NLG Thoughts)
RBC is building a new custody platform using a variety of vendors, and it shows how the interoperability movement is progressing. But Anthony wonders how interop will continue to evolve at a time of great consolidation.
State Street’s Milek on the Front-Office Data Challenge
Marko Milek says the trend of outsourcing data management is becoming more mainstream.
S&P-Markit: It’s Not Over Yet
S&P and IHS Markit may have agreed to their takeover deal, but there may yet be some surprises before the deal actually closes. Max ponders what might lie in store for the companies over the next six months.
Waters Wrap: S&P-IHS Markit and the Land of Giants (Also, More on AML Tech)
Anthony provides some of his initial questions and thoughts following the S&P-IHS Markit deal. He also takes a second look at AML technology after getting some sage feedback.
Waters Wrap: Machine-Learning Models Suffer from Covid (And Exchanges in the Cloud, Pt. 2)
Anthony says that while machine-learning models have been hit-and-miss during the pandemic, NLP is taking on greater importance. He also looks at how exchanges are looking to move their core matching engines to the cloud.
EU’s Cloud Vision Still Pie in the Sky
The supporters of a plan for a federated cloud architecture in Europe held a conference to discuss development plans, but it’s still unclear how the concept will work in practice.
Waters Wrap: Is AML Tech Worth the Cost? (And Cloud Moves & More Blockchain)
Anthony wonders if AML platforms are being scrutinized enough by banks and regulators, then looks at Wells Fargo's tapping of HPR for its quant division and Northern Trust’s blockchain plans.
Fermi’s New Paradox: If AI Analysts Are So Obvious, Where is Everybody?
UBS AM’s Bryan Cross says the goal of embedding AI in the investment process has failed because the aim has been misguided.
EU Regulators Spill More Ink Tackling Market Data Costs
The latest consultation on the market data obligations under Mifid II looks to provide better, cheaper, and more uniform access to market data. But will it be enough to standardize policies?
Waters Wrap: Blockchain is Still Overhyped (And Ion/Broadway Thoughts & the Consulting Boom)
In 2016, Anthony wrote that the blockchain revolution was overhyped—unsurprisingly, his opinions have not changed. He also delves into the Ion-Broadway deal, and looks at new consulting/advisory firms that have recently come to market.
China’s AI Expansion Could Shift the Fintech Balance of Power
Wei-Shen thinks about how the battle for supremacy in AI will evolve in the near future, and what the implications of China’s advances in the field might mean for Wall Street technology.
EU’s Gaia-X Project: Reaching for Digital Sovereignty
Right now, details are scarce for the project, but Jo says that even if the initiative fails to get off the ground, it marks a big step in the bloc’s effort to achieve digital sovereignty.