Banking on the Jasmine Revolution

The last time the world saw uprisings similar to what is now being called the Jasmine Revolution—massive protests in the Arab world, starting with Tunisia—was when Eastern Europe rejected communism in the early 1990s. Before that, it was the European revolutions of 1848 when multinational empires fell like dominoes and nation states rose to take their place.
The big question is what this will mean for the financial markets and their structures after the dust settles. Demands from Tunisia and Cairo, and now the island kingdom of Bahrain, indicate that these movements are about a more equitable distribution of wealth and an establishment of a true middle class in these nations—something that many from inside and outside the region have been wanting for a long time.
Until the situations in these nations calm down, and law and order are restored, the fate of the local markets is up in the air.
In Egypt, now that the army has disbanded parliament, discarded the current constitution, taken control of the nation and decided to build a new political infrastructure from scratch, it has ensured that the country will face a much longer period of instability than if it had simply reformed its previous systems.
I'm a cynic when it comes to the Egyptian army. Since the overthrow of King Farouk in 1953, all the country’s leaders—Muhammad Naguib, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak—have been military officers.
Until the Jasmine Revolution winds down, plans for investment and market structure improvements around the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf will probably be put on hold. Hopefully, democracy will flourish and the region’s markets will be further liberalized.
Only users who have a paid subscription or are part of a corporate subscription are able to print or copy content.
To access these options, along with all other subscription benefits, please contact info@waterstechnology.com or view our subscription options here: https://subscriptions.waterstechnology.com/subscribe
You are currently unable to print this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
You are currently unable to copy this content. Please contact info@waterstechnology.com to find out more.
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (point 2.4), printing is limited to a single copy.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
Copyright Infopro Digital Limited. All rights reserved.
You may share this content using our article tools. As outlined in our terms and conditions, https://www.infopro-digital.com/terms-and-conditions/subscriptions/ (clause 2.4), an Authorised User may only make one copy of the materials for their own personal use. You must also comply with the restrictions in clause 2.5.
If you would like to purchase additional rights please email info@waterstechnology.com
More on Trading Tech
Asic probe piles pressure on ASX to deliver Chess replacement
But market insiders think late intervention by regulators could even slow down implementation.
Stakes raised for UK bond, EU derivatives tapes after Ediphy clinches win
The pressure is on for TransFICC, Etrading, Finbourne, and Propellant Digital, who are still vying to provide the UK’s fixed income consolidated tape after Esma awarded the EU’s tape to Ediphy and its partners.
Exchange M&A, US moratorium on AI regs dashed, Citi’s “fat-finger”-killer, and more
The Waters Cooler: Euronext-Athex, SIX-Aquis, Blue Ocean-Eventus, EDM Association, and more in this week’s news roundup.
LSEG officially sunsets Eikon
The exchange operator withdrew the platform from its product lineup this week.
Cloud Wars: Are EU and APAC firms really pining for homegrown options?
Waters Wrap: In the wake of tariffs and regional instability, there’s chatter about non-US firms lessening their dependency on the major hyperscalers. Anthony is not buying it.
Bloomberg, MTS expand portfolio trading to EGBs
The platform providers will follow Tradeweb with the extension of the popular credit protocol.
Doing a deal? Prioritize info security early
Engaging information security teams early in licensing deals can deliver better results and catch potential issues. Neglecting them can cause delays and disruption, writes Devexperts’ Heetesh Rawal in this op-ed.
Google gifts Linux, capital raised for Canton, one less CTP bid, and more
The Waters Cooler: Banks team up for open-source AI controls, S&P injects GenAI into Capital IQ, and Goldman Sachs employees get their own AI assistant in this week’s news roundup.