[Developer Webinar] Instrument Pricing Analytics for Bond Pricing and LIBOR alternatives

10-03-2021 | treasuryXL | Refinitiv |

Webinar on March 30 at 10 am BTS

LIBOR is widely embedded in operating models and a transition to alternative rates will affect how many contracts are priced and risk managed.

Join this webinar where Refinitiv will showcase and demonstrate examples in Python. Register by entering your details by clicking the banner above.

Refinitiv will be using Instrument Pricing Analytics API to price:

  • Fixed Rate Bonds
  • Floating rate notes on new Risk-Free Rates

From a Quantitative perspective exploring: 

  • Impact of LIBOR transition on Bond Pricing & generating yield curves

 

The future of trading: The rise of data analytics in trading

11-01-2021 | treasuryXL | Refinitiv |

 

Redefining data: What is your strategy?

With more information available than ever, traders must find the right data, make sense of it, and ultimately take action.

 

 

With more information available than ever, traders must find the right data, make sense of it, and ultimately take action. Unstructured information, the explosion of alternative data, and the need for trusted sources makes an already daunting task even more complex.

 

In our second report with Greenwich Associates on the trading desk of the future we explore the data that will keep markets moving over the next 3-5 years. With an overwhelming 85% of those surveyed planning to increase spending on data management, the value of financial data is clearly increasing.

Alternative data tops the list of most important data types, but is only useful if traders trust the source. When it comes to issues of scale and trust, 41% of those surveyed will rely on large financial markets data aggregators. Finally, analytics to interpret existing, new and unstructured data are becoming as critical as finding the data itself.

 

The bottom line? Everyone needs a data strategy.

 

Download & Acces full report

 

 

Pinpointing oil and gas sector Risks

14-12-2020 | treasuryXL | Refinitiv |

The oil and gas sector is under greater regulatory scrutiny, with record fines for financial crime-related violations. How is robust and thorough risk screening helping companies across the industry to pinpoint and protect against a range of potential risks?
  1. Screening and related due diligence tools are essential in the oil and gas sector for pinpointing and exposing potential risks early in the game.
  2. In the highly regulated upstream industry of exploration and drilling, risks include sanctions violations, bribery, corruption, and environmental crime.
  3. Refinitiv’s World-Check Risk Intelligence database comprises over four million structured records, enabling robust and accurate screening of both entities and individuals.

The oil and gas sector has been on the receiving end of some of the largest regulatory fines on record in recent years. Our Expert Talk, Drilling down: Oil and gas supply chain risk, written by Refinitiv’s Renata Galvao, takes a look at the sector and its unique challenges.

One of the highest profile was the US$853.2 million levied in 2018 against Brazilian state oil company, Petróleo Brasileiro SA, under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the so-called Car Wash bribery scandal. While figures such as these are eye-wateringly high, the reputational fallout of any association with financial or environmental crime can be far more devastating. It is therefore imperative that organizations operating in the oil and gas sector take adequate measures to screen for, and mitigate, the wide range of risks to which they may be exposed within often vast, global supply chains.

Oil and gas sector risks

Organizations in the oil and gas sector — whether they are involved in upstream, midstream or downstream activities — face a range of risks and challenges. The highly regulated upstream industry — incorporating exploration and drilling — paid the largest share of all settlements for breaching Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions in the period 2011-2019. Many oil-rich territories are situated in jurisdictions characterized by political uncertainty, and consequently organizations must contend with high levels of risk relating to bribery and corruption.  There is also exposure to a number of hidden risks, such as those related to terrorism financing and engagement with armed rebel groups.

The midstream industry — including transportation, storage and wholesale marketing — also faces a range of risks, including the financial, regulatory and reputational fallout associated with accidents such as spills, explosions, and leaks. Environmental regulations governing such issues are stringent, with penalties including both fines and imprisonment where criminal charges are brought against negligent individuals. Moreover, midstream organizations using sea transportation must be able to verify the beneficial ownership of all vessels used, as any links to criminal activity such as smuggling at sea, the illicit transportation of contraband and narcotics, or human trafficking must be identified.

The downstream industry — refining, processing, marketing and distribution — in turn is exposed to significant third-party risk from both the upstream and midstream industries. Oil theft is becoming a growing concern, and therefore understanding the source of crude and the legitimacy of the product are fundamental areas of focus for this sector. Downstream companies are also subject to growing environmental controls, with ever-more stringent national regulations monitoring and restricting the levels of pollution that refineries are allowed to emit.

Mitigating risk in global supply chains

Given this vast range of potential risks, screening and related due diligence are widely regarded as key tools to pinpoint and expose potential risk early in the game.

Refinitiv’s market-leading World-Check Risk Intelligence database can provide invaluable support to compliance teams by enabling them to conduct robust and accurate screening of both entities and individuals. World-Check One, our essential screening platform, further offers a range of specific opt-in tools, including:

  • Media Check to enable targeted searching for negative news and web articles, both current and historical, relating to individuals and entities.
  • UBO Check, which allows users to identify the ultimate beneficial owners of entities and then screen them against World-Check Risk Intelligence on a single platform.
  • Vessel Check, which reveals potential risk related to sanctioned or embargoed vessels and sea ports.

Additionally, where heightened risk is suspected, our Enhanced Due Diligence reports deliver targeted insights into potential business relationships, enabling companies to form a holistic view of potential risk before entering a new market or beginning a new relationship.

By investing in the right screening tools and technology, companies in the oil and gas sector can pinpoint, expose and mitigate risk in global supply chains, and in so doing protect themselves from the ever-growing threat of severe financial, regulatory and reputational fallout that has dogged the sector in the recent past.

 

How does the FATF help fight financial crime?

01-12-2020 | treasuryXL | Refinitiv |

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plays a crucial role in the global fight against crime, corruption and terrorism through its Mutual Evaluation assessment. How has the FATF evolved since its birth 31 years ago, and what role does it play in anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT)?

  1. The FATF is an intergovernmental body that oversees global efforts to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
  2. To become part of the FATF group, a country must undergo a ‘Mutual Peer Review’ to determine its levels of compliance with FATF’s Recommendations.
  3. The FATF’s methodology change, introducing the Effectiveness Assessment, is yielding more accurate results of a jurisdiction’s levels of compliance with its AML/CFT global standard.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body that was established in 1989 by the G7 nations to combat money laundering. For the first 12 years, of its existence it was a little-known organization. However, it came to prominence after 9/11 when its mandate was expanded to include additional Recommendations to combat the financing of terrorism and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Since then, the FATF mandate and Recommendations have been endorsed by different UN resolutions, and it has been transformed to adapt to different emerging threats. In 2008, after the global financial crisis, FATF’s role as an international standard policy-making body in AML and CFT was expanded by the G20. It was given the ‘soft power’ to generate the necessary political will to bring about legislative and regulatory reforms in countries.

The FATF Mutual Peer Review

Countries wishing to become members of the FATF group must commit to a ‘Mutual Peer Review’ system. This will determine the country’s levels of deployment and compliance with the FATF Recommendations, which have been set as the international AML/CFT standard. The FATF oversees these reviews in conjunction with different international members and observers such as the IMF, the World Bank, the OECD, and the European Commission.                                                                                       
In addition to the information received from the assessment team performing the review, the FATF Mutual Evaluation’s Effectiveness Assessment also considers information from the FATF team that visits the country being evaluated. The Mutual Evaluation team comprises highly trained experts drawn from FATF member countries and international bodies.

 

Recommendations focus on effectiveness

Until 2013, the results of the FATF review were largely focused on the technical implementation of the Recommendations into the local legislations. However, because of the high levels of money laundering (ML) and financing of terrorism (FT) globally, the FATF decided to enhance its methodology to focus more on effectiveness rather than just technical compliance. This revised methodology helped to produce the expected tangible results in the fight against AML/CFT. It shed light on many countries that had previously been evaluated, but who under the new methodology began to show serious weaknesses in the fight against ML and FT. This resulted in the number of countries and jurisdictions on the FATF Grey List — those who were placed under increased monitoring — to start growing.

The FATF Mutual Evaluation employs peer pressure from other countries, as well as bodies such as the IMF and the World Bank, which impels the assessed countries to act. Negative mutual evaluation outcomes not only seriously damage the reputation of the assessed countries and embarrass its governments, but might also generate replicated systemic risks of coercion by other international institutions such as the European Commission. And the new methodology is working. In recent years, the Effectiveness Assessment is yielding more accurate results of a jurisdiction’s levels of compliance with FATF’s AML/CFT global standard. Many jurisdictions are now finally realizing the coercive power of the Mutual Assessment.

New evaluation methodology

The fourth round of Mutual Evaluations from FATF continued the shift towards concentrating on how effectively regulations are deployed rather than mainly focusing on technical compliance and whether country laws and regulations are in place in accordance with the FATF Recommendations.

This can be very challenging for a number of countries in many sectors, including some that have previously been assessed to be complying with the standards before the introduction of this new evaluation methodology.

The pressure to ensure that legislation was changed and that industry sectors complied with the Recommendations was achieved by targeting the industry sectors that posed the highest AML/CFT risk. At least this was the case in the Middle East and Africa. The early years concentrated on the banking and financial sectors, including the capital markets. This focus was later broadened to non-banking remittances and payments organizations and money exchanges. This was followed by the insurance sector and so on.

Non-financial sectors under the spotlight

The last few years has seen Mutual Evaluation reports focus on the designated non-financial business and professions (DNFBPs) sectors — real estate, lawyers, accountants, gold and precious stone dealers, for example — that had been previously overlooked area by past evaluations. For example, the EU Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which came into effect in January 2020, further strengthened its AML/CFT legislation to fall in line with the FATF, when it included a number of new sectors.

The non-financial sector often has the misconception that AML/CFT regulations are solely for the banking and financial sectors. A key shortcoming identified by FATF across many jurisdictions in emerging markets is that DNFBPs are falling short of FATF expectations. Recent evaluation reports from several countries show that DNFBPs have less comprehensive, and sometimes limited or no understanding, of AML/CFT regulations and the risks that they are facing.

However, the new approach of measuring effectiveness rather than technical compliance might keep many countries’ institutions and companies to consider: “Are our sanctions and transactions screening just a checklist process, or do they show the real effectiveness of our AML/CFT risk process as defined by FATF?”

Identity fraud, COVID-19 and the Pivotal role of Digital Identity

16-11-2020 | treasuryXL | Refinitiv |

Financial crime, including identity fraud, is growing as sophisticated criminals exploit the ever-expanding capabilities of emerging technology. The COVID-19 crisis has only served to increase opportunities for criminals to benefit from fear, uncertainty and desperation, but digital identity solutions offer banks and financial institutions (FIs) a chance to fight back.


Financial crime and identity fraud: fueled by the digital revolution

As digital connectivity continues to redefine every aspect of our lives, quick, seamless digital experiences have come to embody our new normal. This digital revolution is being driven by a host of interconnected factors, including a changing regulatory landscape and emerging technology that creates an environment with low barriers to entry. Other factors are also at play, including ever-increasing connectivity between entities, increased cross-border activity, and tech-savvy consumers who demand choice, fairness, flexibility, and an omnichannel experience across all areas of their lives. Consumers accustomed to digital retail experiences expect the same 24/7/365 digital experience in other areas of their lives, such as banking and wealth management. Moreover, they increasingly expect tailored, highly personalized experiences.

The result of enhanced connectivity, convenience and increased consumer engagement is a real need to protect against highly sophisticated financial criminals who are harnessing the same digital capabilities to defraud both organizations and individuals. Put simply, the technological advancements that make our lives easier can also benefit criminals, making it easier for them to commit financial crime. According to the World Economic Forum, fraud and financial crime constitute a trillion-dollar industry, and private companies spent approximately US$8.2 billion on anti-money laundering (AML) controls alone in 2017.

Refinitiv’s own research, presented in our 2019 report, Innovation and the fight against financial crime, confirms that financial crime is indeed pervasive and costly. Our findings were collated from a survey of more than 3000 managers with compliance-related responsibilities at large global organizations. We found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents were aware of financial crime taking place in their global operations during the 12 months preceding the survey, even though the same companies spent an average of 4% of turnover on customer and third-party due diligence checks. Looking specifically at identity fraud, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has revealed that synthetic identity fraud – where criminals manufacture a new identity using both legitimate and false information – is the fastest growing crime in the U.S.2

COVID-19 has upped the ant

Following the rapid spread of the epidemic , financial crime has accelerated as criminals have found new opportunities to exploit fear, uncertainty and desperation. The FBI provides various innovative examples relating to how criminals are using COVID-19 to defraud individuals, including government impersonators who aim to extract personal information for illegal purposes. And work-from-home fraud, in which victims are asked to send or move money, effectively becoming money mules and enabling criminals.

Forward-thinking banks and FIs are already beginning to accelerate their existing digital transformation programs to mitigate the higher levels of risk anticipated during and after the pandemic. In particular, we expect a significant uptick in the use of digital onboarding and digital identity solutions as more consumers are forced to transact online as a result of lockdown and social distancing requirements; choose to do so for fear of contracting or spreading the virus; and/or are seeking better security when asked to prove their identity.

Even before the pandemic, many firms were increasingly using digital innovation to fight financial crime, including digital identity solutions in the client identification space. Digital identity solutions offer fast, reliable digital identity verification and screening; transcend geographies; boost operational efficiency; and remove the human error factor. Moreover, digital identity helps financial institutions optimize compliance models, improve risk mitigation and protect customers from identity fraud. As the world grapples with the effects of the pandemic, banks and FIs have a real and immediate opportunity to review their systems and controls, while simultaneously accelerating digital transformation and moving away from old-school manual Know Your Customer (KYC) processes.

The far-reaching effects of identity theft

Organizations across the financial services industry are facing a range of common challenges, including rising competition, tightening margins, strict regulatory expectations, the need for greater operational efficiency, and pressure to reduce costs. There is the added fundamental requirement to ensure that the client experience is positive. Customer abandonment levels remain unacceptably high, with over half (56%) of consumers in the UK abandoning bank applications in 2018. Our research suggests that traditional KYC and due diligence processes – which can be time-consuming, inefficient and costly – have contributed to this.

While firms are increasingly aware of the need to ensure better experiences for clients, they also need to consider the ever-growing security threats such as large-scale data breaches, phishing and social engineering attacks. These crimes have made it easier for fraudsters to assume the identities of legitimate account owners via account takeover fraud. The impact of identity fraud is far-reaching, with victims experiencing both financial and psychological damage that can severely impact their behavior and future brand loyalty.

There is therefore an urgent need for banks and FIs to prioritize customer identity protection alongside the accepted need to ensure a positive experience. Many banks and FIs are not moving fast enough to address this issue – and need to become more aware of the wider social risks of identity fraud.

On a more positive note, a highly encouraging finding from our survey was that technology, including digital identity solutions, is increasingly able to help organizations fight back against financial crime while improving client relationships. A significant 94% of survey respondents agreed that the technology they use to detect financial crime is also enhancing customer engagement.

Digital identity: who can benefit?

Digital identity solutions continue to grow in popularity and offer numerous benefits to different industry participants, including retail banks and wealth managers.

Retail Banking

Retail banks, for example, can benefit from enhanced speed, efficiency and security when using digital onboarding and digital identity solutions during customer account opening, where it is necessary to verify and prove the identity of new customers who apply for new bank products and services. Digital identity is also invaluable for customer re-verification and authentication in instances where existing customers seek to make changes to their personal information.

Wealth management

Turning specifically to the wealth industry, the benefits are equally clear. The wealth arena is operating against a backdrop of unprecedented uncertainty as wealth transfer from baby boomers to millennials brings far-reaching changes to business models, in line with the expectation that a new generation requires new strategies and alternative data.

We commissioned research from global research and advisory firm Aite Group, which collated the findings from executive interviews with leading wealth management firms around the globe. The research found that 100% of respondents consider wealth transfer to be one of their top-three concerns. This report also revealed that financial advisors are becoming less product-focused and more relationship-oriented. As the wealth industry continues to shift away from products and towards services, the role of financial planning is taking center stage in the client/advisor relationship. Advisors are increasingly shifting focus from administrative duties and investment selection to client service. Digital identities can enable the shift of work from financial advisor to less expensive parts of the value chain, enabling them to concentrate on areas of added value.

A strong belief in technology

Our research shows that firms overwhelmingly believe in the power of technology in the fight against corruption: 97% of all respondents in our innovation survey said that technology can significantly help with financial crime prevention. There are of course still challenges in adopting digital solutions – nearly three-quarters (73%) reported concerns or obstacles when harnessing technological advancements to reduce risks and costs.

Respondents revealed that only about half (51%) of the data and legal documentation needed to carry out due diligence is obtained, but creating more difficulties, only 54% of this is in a digitized format. While remedies will take time, the digitization outlook is positive with 60% of organizations prioritizing automation and digitization for investment. Respondents indicated that spending on customer and third-party due diligence checks was expected to increase by 51% in the year following the survey, with technology being the biggest investment area. This data was gathered prior to the onset of COVID-19 and is expected to accelerate further as a result.

Digital identity solutions deliver diverse benefits

Digital identity solutions tick many boxes, including:

  • Faster turnaround times. Using digital identity accelerates the pace of business, benefits all stakeholders, and means that banks and FIs can onboard and service more customers, more efficiently.
  • Improved accuracy. Human error is unavoidable in manual identity procedures, but digital equivalents reduce manual keying errors, ultimately leading to better compliance.
  • Better security. Old school security features, including passwords and knowledge-based authentication (KBA), not only cause high levels of frustration among clients, but are also often unsecure.
  • More streamlined operational costs. Digital identity solutions boost efficiency levels, leading to more optimal deployment of resources and cost savings.
  • A more favorable customer experience. Faster turnaround times, fewer touch points and a seamless digital experience all contribute to higher levels of customer satisfaction.

Refinitiv’s digital identification and verification solution, Qual-ID delivers in each of these areas. Built specifically for FIs, Qual-ID enables secure, digital identity verification and screening to boost compliance team efficiency. The solution focuses exclusively on consumer identity. Qual-ID helps with identity verification, document verification, enables anti-impersonation checks to be performed in a variety of robust yet consumer friendly ways.Qual-ID also leverages our market-leading World-Check Risk Intelligence Database to enable screening for financial crime risk within the same solution.

World-Check delivers accurate and reliable information compiled by hundreds of specialist researchers and analysts across the globe, adhering to the most stringent research guidelines as they collate information from reliable and reputable sources, including watch lists, government records and media searches. Incorporating World-Check capabilities into Qual-ID means that customers can verify identity against trusted sources, proof legal documents and screen for regulatory and financial risk – all in one transaction, via one API.
This unique combination of elements delivers a holistic digital identity and screening solution that assists our clients to comply with their legal and regulatory requirements at the time of onboarding.

Technology’s significant and tangible impact

Only 53% of respondents in our innovation survey confirmed that they conduct KYC checks on client identity during onboarding but worse still, only 46% of these checks are considered successful. While these figures are alarmingly low, our research did reveal that those organizations that use technology are almost twice as successful at performing KYC checks on client identity (47%) as their counterparts who don’t use technology (28%). These findings are a clear indication of the significant, tangible impact that the right technology can have in the client identity space, and ultimately in thwarting financial crime.

What is certain is that the digital transformation will continue to gather momentum – digital commerce is expected to grow globally at more than a 20% CAGR by 2022, reaching nearly US5.8 trillion in value. Alongside this growth, another certainty is that sophisticated criminals will continue to exploit emerging technology to advance their illicit activity, both now and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Forward-thinking banks and FIs must therefore harness the power of the best available technology and solutions to prevent financial crime and protect their customers – and digital identity solutions offer an immediate opportunity for success in this critical area.

Technology in 2024: Is your trading desk ready?

20-10-2020 | treasuryXL | Refinitiv |

Traders around the world find themselves having to adapt quickly to AI and emerging technologies, the move to automation, and the need to demonstrate best execution.

To understand what this means for the future, Refinitiv teamed up with Greenwich Associates to produce a three-part series called ‘The Future of Trading’.

In our first report, we found broad consensus (78%) that technology has created better and more efficient financial markets.  However, opinions vary on what will bring the greatest future impact—and how soon.

AI and machine learning are widely expected to be the most disruptive. Beyond that, perspectives are split: traders are looking for immediate impact from execution management systems (EMS) and from short and longer term investment in trade performance analytics. Across capital markets, though, the focus is firmly on long-term, strategic and defensive cybersecurity and real-time risk management solutions.

Access full report

The Treasurer’s Toolkit: Unpacking the DNA of a successful treasurer in 2025

8-9-2020 | treasuryXL | Refinitiv |

How did treasurers become the guardians of business risk?

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, corporate treasury teams were thrust into the spotlight when businesses prioritised cashflow as banks’ appetites to lend waned. Since 2008, the role of the corporate treasurer has evolved from that of a diligent back-office function, to increasingly become more of a strategic advisor to the board. Today’s corporate treasurers have a much broader remit and the subsequent onslaught of regulations such as Basel III, Dodd Frank, MiFID II and the International Accounting Standards have ensured that the treasurer now plays a critical role in ensuring the survival, and success, of businesses.

To sustain this advisory relationship with senior stakeholders and further develop as a strategic lead in the global competitive business landscape, corporate treasurers must understand the vital skills and relevant experiences that will not only help propel their careers but differentiate them from others in the market.

78 per cent of respondents agree that treasurers across the world are now expected to do more with less

In this ground-breaking research report The Treasurer’s Toolkit, Refinitiv has identified key trends in how corporate demands have shaped the skillsets, desired experience and typical profiles of the modern corporate treasurer. Our research incorporated the views of 250 CFOs, heads of finance and recruitment professionals, across five continents in businesses varying in size, from fewer than 100 employees to more than 5,000. In this report we take a deeper dive into the research, to unpack the DNA of the successful treasurer, now and in the future.

treasuryXL announces collaboration with Refinitiv, one of the world’s largest providers of financial markets data and infrastructure

| 27-8-2020 | treasuryXL | Refinitiv |

VENLO, The Netherlands, August 27, 2020 – treasuryXL, the community platform for everyone who is active in the world of treasury, and Refinitiv, one of the world’s largest providers of financial markets data and infrastructure today announced the signature of a premium partnership.

The collaboration aims at offering a continuous flow of treasury content, making treasury knowledge available. This collaboration includes:

  • collaboration on messaging, content production, and visibility
  • mutual distribution on select items of interest
  • collaboration on larger themes: event promotion, speaking and experts contribution, publications

With this collaboration, treasuryXL and Refinitiv are striving to make sure that treasurers are always up to date with the latest news and events in their field.

According to Kendra Keydeniers, treasuryXL “We are very excited to welcome Refinitiv in our community. Refinitiv is one of the world’s largest providers of financial markets data and infrastructure, serving over 40,000 institutions in over 190 countries. Refinitiv will have a prominent role in the Treasury Topic environment with coverage in corporate finance, risk, cash management, working capital management & treasury software which is a considerable contribution to our ecosystem.”

About treasuryXL

treasuryXL started in 2016 as a community platform for everyone who is active in the world of treasury. Their extensive and highly qualified network consists out of experienced and aspiring treasurers. treasuryXL keeps their network updated with daily news, events and the latest treasury vacancies.

treasuryXL brings the treasury function to a higher level, both for the inner circle: corporate treasurers, bankers & consultants, as well as others that might benefit: CFO’s, business owners, other people from the CFO Team and educators.

treasuryXL offers:

  • professionals the chance to publish their expertise, opinions, success stories, distribute these and stimulate dialogue.
  • a labour market platform by creating an overview of vacancies, events and treasury education.
  • a variety of consultancy services in collaboration with qualified treasurers.
  • a broad network of highly valued partners and experts.

About Refinitiv
Refinitiv is one of the world’s largest providers of financial markets data and infrastructure, serving over 40,000 institutions in over 190 countries. It provides leading data and insights, trading platforms, and open data and technology platforms that connect a thriving global financial markets community driving performance in trading, investment, wealth management, regulatory compliance, market data management, enterprise risk and fighting financial crime.

For more information visit: www.refinitiv.com