Technology Research Report

Technology Research Report is released on a monthly basis and covers a broad range of Technology related issues specific to the investment banking industry. Technology Research Report will be of great value to you if you:

Have a series of specific and well-defined questions
Need a quick turnaround of findings
Want to keep abreast of the "hot issues" in the industry on an on-going basis

Several options for Technology Research Report annual subscription are available ranging from contracts with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 12 topics commissioned by you.

Regardless of the subscription option you pick (e.g. 3, 6 or 12 topics of your choice to be researched), you will receive 12 issues of the Technology Research Report with the collection of topic commissioned by all the subscribers.

STP in Securities Lending

The securities lending market is expected to continue to grow by 5% in the US and 10% in Europe according to recent industry analyst reports. In this expanding market the need to improve efficiency and drive down costs is never far from the mind of the business manager. Securities lending is an area in which there is still considerable scope for efficiency improvement as it is one of the last areas to have fully embraced automated processing. The lack of automation, evident in front, middle and back office activities, is largely due to the variable nature of the trades and the complexity of the operational lifecycle. This is particularly true in international lending, where the cross market complexities make automation even more challenging.

P&L and Accounting Quality

Profit and loss (P&L) is an important element of financial reporting, and monitoring P&L performance is essential, with the front office, product control and accounting all drawing critical information from the process at different times during the day.

Data leakage prevention

In July 2009 the FSA fined HSBC more than £3m for failing to protect sensitive data. The FSA’s review into the case led many banks to reassess the way in which they look after sensitive data. This extends far beyond customer data on the retail side and also covers information on employees, and sensitive information on other institutions.

Real-Time Risk Management

As a result of the economic credit crisis of the last year and a half, the role of the risk manager has been given greater importance. The risk manager’s previously diminished role was partly a result of the belief that risk management methodologies have been unable to keep pace with the high octane pace set by the various trading desks. Regulators are ensuring that banks are able to capture and report all aspects of its risk profile, gathering as much data as possible in doing so. This then seems to be leading to a move for risk departments to move to real-time to allow them to catch greater and more up to date information.

Operating Systems

Selecting the appropriate operating system is important for Investment banks as it helps them support critical applications, driving growth while providing scalability and security. This report seeks to examine the current trends around the use of operating systems in the banking space

Virtualisation

Data centre virtualisation projects have a ripple effect throughout an organisation’s infrastructure and operations. Before embarking on data centre virtualisation deployments, there are a number of considerations which must be made. Collapsing multiple physical devices into software affects the people and processes supporting the data centre. Therefore, enterprises should thoroughly evaluate how business processes, administrative rights, capacity planning, performance monitoring tools and security strategies will need to change.

Exotic Derivatives IT

Exotic derivatives IT is seen to be a hugely complex area of investment banking. However, it is not only useful for hedging activities but is also hugely profitable. It would therefore come as no great surprise to learn that in the current economic climate more time and investment is looking to be spent in this sector.