Brian Bollen's Blog

Who IS this antipodean clown presenting BBC business news?

Who IS the antipodean clown presenting business 'news' on BBC 'News' 24? His method of delivery, shouting and gurning and hopping from foot to foot and rocking back and forward is clearly meant to demonstrate confidence in his abilities and convey a sense of urgency (heaven forfend that the BBC might run the risk of boring the non-specialist viewer for a nano-second).

But it is achieving exactly the opposite. I can scarcely hear, let alone understand, a word of what he says (and I have been around the international financial world my entire adult professional life) and has prompted me to switch off. Jeff Randall remains the only business presenter on any English language broadcasting channel proven to be worth his salt.

GPP hails new arrivals

Global Prime Partners (GPP) says it has appointed Mike Ward to head new business development.

Why we’ve moved long sterling

Sterling’s sharp decline against the US dollar post the Brexit vote has left the pound significantly undervalued, according to Legg Mason subsidiary Western Asset.

BNY Mellon expands global trustee service

BNY Mellon says it has today been granted full All Asset Trust License status in Korea to provide trustee services for the domestic market expanding its international services to Korean clients.

Mint: Blain's Morning Porridge

Can’t put my finger on what lies in store, but I fear what’s to happen all happened before..

Vatel appoints SGSS

Vatel Capital has appointed SGSS to provide custody, depositary bank and valuation services for its new 2016 Corsican Fonds d’Investissement de Proximité (FIP, local investment fund), FIP Kallisté Capital N°9.

Niederauer joins Paxos

Paxos, a financial technology company delivering blockchain solutions for global financial institutions, has appointed Duncan L Niederauer, the former chief executive officer of The New York Stock Exchange, to its board of directors.

Investor confidence down in November

Investor confidence fell in November, according to the State Street Investor Confidence Index (ICI).

Axioma Launches Multi-Asset Class Risk Monitor

Axioma, a provider of enterprise risk solutions for financial institutions, has announced the launch of its new Multi-Asset Class (MAC) Risk Monitor. It says this weekly report will highlight current trends in market and portfolio risk and the resulting impact on a multi-asset class portfolio.

Calypso links with R3

Calypso Technology says it has become the first firm to partner with R3 to develop capital markets applications on its Corda distributed ledger-based smart contract platform.

New leadership for GFMA

The Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA), which represents the common interests of the world’s leading financial and capital market participants, says it has installed a new leadership team. The appointments have been approved by its board of directors.

The new chairwoman is Sandra O’Connor, chief regulatory affairs officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co, taking over from Samir Assaf, chief executive of global banking and markets, HSBC.  Sylvie Matherat, chief regulatory officer at Deutsche Bank, is vice chairwoman, a newly created position. 

Mark Austen, chief executive officer of the Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA), takes over as chief executive officer from Kenneth E Bentsen, Jr, President and CEO of the US-based Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA). 

Each of the trio is scheduled to serve two-year terms.

Celent eyes post-trade challenges

Growth in trading new asset classes and markets amidst constant evolution in post-trade infrastructure and market practices call for more efficiency and agility in back office systems, according to a new report from research and advisory firm Celent.

EC proposes new EU CCP rules

The European Commission says it has today proposed new rules to ensure that Central Counterparties (CCPs) can be dealt with effectively when things go wrong.

Policymakers must remove barriers

Policymakers must remove the barriers to investment faced by private infrastructure funds in order to help achieve the €2 trillion of vital European infrastructure investment needed by 2020, according to a new report launched today by Invest Europe.

Credit Suisse turns to BNY Mellon

BNY Mellon has been appointed by Credit Suisse as the successor depositary bank for its American depositary receipt (ADR) programme. Each ADR represents one share of Credit Suisse and will continue to trade on the NYSE under the symbol “CS.”

Launch of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) say they have approved the launch of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect after finalising all necessary regulatory approvals and arrangements required for its commencement.

Higher tax for UK investors?

Christopher Mitchell, head of UK tax services at BNY Mellon believes that the proposal made in the UK's autumn financial statement that offshore funds registered as UK reporting funds should no longer be able to deduct performance fees from reported income could lead to an increased annual tax charge for UK investors.

SIX in new tax reclaim launch

SIX Securities Services, the business area responsible for post-trade services at Swiss financial infrastructure provider SIX, has agreed an exclusive partnership with Confinale for tax reclaims, and will launch the resultant new service on January 1.

CACEIS to service Louvre Museum Endowment Fund

The Louvre Endowment Fund has engaged CACEIS to provide custody and valuation services, execution and clearing of listed derivatives, and generate financial reports.

Mint – Blain’s Morning Porridge

Apologies for the lack of Morning Porridge these past five weeks. I’m still laid up at home, convalescing after a partially successful operation.