Feature
UBS expands in Asia, Middle East and Africa
Swiss banking group UBS is forming a “strategic alliance” with Standard Chartered Bank for fund distribution in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Although the scope of the agreement has yet to be finalised, it is envisaged that it will give Standard…
S&P looks at PD estimation in a Basel II environment
New S&P report states that there is a negative relationship between probability of default and speculative-grade post-default recovery values.
Celent publishes new Mifid impact study
Post-trade reporting and market data provisions will be the first areas affected by Mifid, says Celent.
FSA out with final transposition of Mifid
The FSA has published a Policy Statement and Handbook text that finalises its transposition of Mifid for FSA-regulated firms
Industry offers comment on market risk NPR
Four industry bodies have issued a joint letter commenting on the supervisory agencies’ notice of proposed rulemaking on market risk.
FSA’s Waters points to confusion over Mifid and UCITS interplay
Mifid and the UCITS Directive create uncertainty as to their interplay in practice.
FIM establishes alternative investment unit
Finnish structured products provider FIM has establsihed a new business, FIM Alternative Investments. The unit’s products, which cater for both institutional and private investors, include capital protected structured products, as well as hedge funds and…
Amex prepares for demutualisation; appoints Morgan Stanley
The American Stock Exchange (Amex) has formally signaled its plans to demutalise by appointing Morgan Stanley to advise it on the preparation and execution of a demutualisation plan.
Malaysia’s CIMB launches first Islamic structured product
CIMB Islamic Bank has launched what it claims to be the first Islamic equity-linked structured product in Malaysia. The 100% capital protected sharia-compliant product, Islamic All-Stars Global Restricted Mudharabah Structured Investment-i (Islamic All…
Cantor Fitzgerald creates structured products team
US broker Cantor Fitzgerald has established a structured products team. The structured products group now sits within the Debt Capital Markets division at Cantor.
Scotia Capital retail head takes seat at Gold World Resources
Scotia Capital’s head of retail structured products, Brian McChesney, has taken a seat on the board of Gold World Resources, a Canadian resource company focusing on China.
Dutch regulator to voice concerns next month
Dutch financial regulator, Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM), will release the findings of its study into the structured retail products market next month. “There are both reasons to be enthusiastic about the Dutch market and … there reasons to worry…
Nvesta deal delayed
The sale of UK structured products provider Nvesta has been delayed. An announcement was due on January 25 but the deal "has had to be deferred due to the lawyers input", according to a spokesman.
Microsoft and partners to offer “Mix and Match” Mifid solutions
Microsoft and its partners have launched a new package of solutions to help firms comply with the main challenges of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (Mifid).
Quadrant announces S2 Initiative for Solvency II
UK Risk Management House Quadrant Risk Management has announced that it is building S2
Energy dominates State of the Union address
US President George Bush has set out bold plans for renewable energy in his annual State of the Union address.
Energy dominates Union address
President George Bush has set out bold plans for renewable energy in his annual State of the Union address.
FTSE and Bursa Malaysia launch new sharia index
Index provider FTSE and Malaysia’s stock exchange Bursa Malaysia Berhad (Bursa Malaysia) have launched the FTSE Bursa Malaysia EMAS Sharia Index. The index, designed to provide a broad benchmark for sharia-compliant investment for the Malaysian market,…
BarCap debuts retail fund for Hong Kong
UK investment bank Barclays Capital has launched its first retail investment fund in Hong Kong. The Power Select Income Fund is an open-ended structured fund with exposure to 20 global stocks from the oil and gas, energy, utilities and basic materials…
US regulators outline rules on structured finance
Five US regulatory organisations have issued a statement of principles on dealing with the risks involved in complex structured financial products.
Project Boat selects business and technology partners
Project Boat selects Cinnober Financial Technology as technology provider and Markit Group Limited as business partner.
Emerging market debt more 'manageable', according to IIF
New types of securities, particularly derivatives, have contributed to making emerging market debt more “manageable” than ever before, according to the Washington-based Institute of International Finance.
Italian regulator to use CDS data
Interdealer broker GFI has started providing credit default swap (CDS) data to the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa, the Italian securities market regulator (Consob)- possibly for market surveillance purposes.
Nvesta to be bought out this week
UK structured products provider Nvesta will be bought out later this week, sources tell SP Extra .