Feature
Sovereign hedging picks up as developing countries end fuel subsidies
A push to eliminate fuel subsidies across much of Africa, the Middle East and Asia is raising interest in the use of commodity hedging by governments as a way of containing social unrest. But it remains a challenge to get sovereign commodity hedging…
Top 10 op risks: reputational risk
The eighth in our series of top 10 op risks for 2014 looks at reputational risk. Admissions of guilt expose banks to more than simply public displeasure
Handling the risks of rapid recruitment
An unprecedented recruitment process has taken place in recent years to handle the payment protection insurance scandal. The financial services industry has had to rapidly embrace the challenge of hiring staff in their thousands, but lessons learnt from…
Top 10 op risks: business continuity in the long term
In the seventh of our series of top 10 op risks for 2014, we look at long-term business continuity. Op risk managers need to prepare for crises that last months, not days
Government bond traders see difficult markets heading into 2014
Your word is my bond
Top 10 op risks: IT failure
The sixth in our series of top 10 op risks for 2014 looks at IT failure. System crashes are an embarrassingly public way to lose money – and will become less and less affordable as transaction speeds grow
Top 10 op risks: internal control failures
The fifth in our series of top 10 op risks for 2014 looks at internal control failures. Banks in 2014 face the task of improving governance to prevent another year of embarrassing losses
Rupiah volatility drives Indonesia derivatives uptake
The drive for derivatives
Top 10 op risks: AML
The fourth of our series of top 10 op risks for 2014 looks at anti-money laundering. Preventing money-laundering is set to become just one aspect of the broader effort to clamp down on all kinds of illegal transactions
2014 predictions: tapering, China and Japan top factors
Focus on the future
Top 10 op risks: data theft
In the third of our series of top 10 op risks for 2014, we look at how high-profile spying and security leaks put the spotlight on privacy obligations
Capital introduction favours large hedge funds
Demand for ‘sticky’ money and market intelligence from large institutionalised hedge funds is squeezing out emerging talent
Q&A: Commission Solvency II head Wiedner on closing the deal on Omnibus II
Klaus Wiedner, head of the insurance and pensions unit at the European Commission, has the task of brokering a deal on Omnibus II. As negotiations go down to the wire, he rebuts criticism that too many concessions are being made to the insurance industry…
Hedge fund service provider rankings 2013 reveal surprises
Service provider rankings 2013 provide surprises
Top 10 op risks: board overstretch
The second in our series of top 10 op risks for 2014 focuses on the boardroom. Regulators and governments are loading new responsibilities on to directors – adequate board membership has never been more important
Commodity investment goes back to fundamentals
The past year has not been a good one for commodity investment. Passive commodity indexes have delivered disappointing returns, while a number of high-profile commodity hedge funds have been forced to close. What is the outlook for investor interest in…
EU energy firms face uphill struggle to comply with market abuse rules
The European Union is implementing new legislation and adopting an increasingly aggressive stance on energy market abuse. But the continent’s energy trading firms face an uphill struggle to comply with the rules. Stella Farrington reports
Sefs cause two-tier market as Asia OTC liquidity splits
Divide and rule
Top 10 op risks: index rigging
The first in our series of top 10 op risks for 2014 looks at index rigging. The Libor-rigging scandal continues to grow, and other indexes may have been involved too
French life insurers face lapse risk hedging problems
French life insurers have to pay back their customers at the drop of a hat – an exposure that rises in tandem with interest rates, as customers seek better returns elsewhere. But with the industry’s traditional hedge for this risk now too pricey,…
Bank initial margin posting raises liquidation concerns
Initial fears
Credit house of the year – BNP Paribas
Credit house of the year
Equity derivatives house of the year – Société Générale
Equity derivatives house of the year