Services Insights

The UK government needs to create rules around biometric technologies to determine how they are used, said Hugh Milward, director of corporate, external and legal affairs at Microsoft UK, during a panel on developing governance for biometrics at a Westminster eForum policy conference today. Market participants are urging regulators and... read more

NR: Welcome Des, you and I have known each other for some time now, but for those that may not know you or your work, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and Cupula Consulting? DL: Sure Neville, be happy to. I have worked in the Financial Services Industry for over 30 years and I’ve been fortunate enough to have held... read more

Quant funds have had a hectic month. Many notable quants – Millennium, DE Shaw, Two Sigma – suffered losses at the end of March, leading some commentators to question if another “quant quake” like that seen in 2007 could be on the horizon. Things have been looking slightly brighter for quants over the past two weeks,... read more

The law on money laundering is continually evolving at both a national and EU level, as EU governments struggle to combat ever increasing levels of economic crime. The latest legislative change is the transposition into UK law of the fifth EU Anti Money Laundering Directive (5MLD) in regulations published shortly before Christmas 2019 (The Money... read more

It would seem there is little that is not subject to change as a result of the current pandemic. I've lost count of the volume of articles that have stated that the world to which we will return following the crisis will have changed out of all recognition. And while I tend to think that we will once again go back to commuting to offices,... read more

Uncertainty around Brexit, oil wars and America’s multiple trade disputes have been complicating firms’ ability to manage cash flows and prepare treasury plans, but many of these issues have been totally overshadowed by the devastating emergence of COVID-19. Finance and treasury functions face uncertain times. JPMorgan is forecasting... read more

For more than a decade, the asset management industry has witnessed large-scale consolidation driven by increased margin pressures, as investors continue to shift their savings away from active funds in favour of cheaper passive investment strategies. This exodus from active funds shows little sign of slowing however, with US passive funds... read more

“The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave, is not training them and having them stay,” said Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company. The financial landscape is shifting at a rapid rate, barely recognisable from half a decade to the next, so naturally, many banks are forced to update their systems... read more

Over the past year credit risk has accumulated across portfolios, volatility in market rates has led to increased levels of interest rate risk, and yield curve inversions have become a serious concern for banks. Operationally, retail banks have had to adapt to difficult conditions in the face of mounting competition and pressure on bottom lines.... read more