Top story
Actuarial resource constraints hold back growth in central and eastern Europe
Lack of data and market fragmentation also challenging, say insurers
Structured Products Europe Awards 2013 – in pictures
World Cup winner Will Greenwood was the special guest at the Structured Products Europe 2013 Awards event held at the Guoman Hotel, Tower Bridge, London on November 12. We feature a gallery of images from the evening's celebrations
Risk management sweatshops? Number-crunchers move to satellite offices
From Berlin to Birmingham, from Tampa Bay to Dallas, banks have tried to boost their risk management resources – while keeping a lid on expense – by building teams in relatively low-cost cities. But do these far-flung offices improve performance? Joe…
Exemptions in the balance as Volcker debate draws to a close
Two years on from its first draft, the Volcker rule is close to being finalised, but some regulators are still trying to close what they see as loopholes – and dealers see as vital freedoms
Asset reallocation predicted as Dutch life companies move to Solvency 1.5
Firms expected to reduce exposure to equities and buy protection in response to transitional solvency regime.
PRA protects clearing from leverage ratio hammer-blow
Banks say leverage exposure "could be halved" after PRA acts to safeguard business
Structured products can underperform a simple stock and bond portfolio, study finds
A group of PhDs churned through 18,000 structured products issued by 13 leading banks, including Barclays, Goldman Sachs and UBS, to find out what investors in the products earned. In November, they published their results. Yakob Peterseil talks to one…
One-third of UK consumers see ‘low value’ in financial advisers, index shows
Financial advisers in the UK received a score of 73 out of 100 in a Vanguard survey designed to measure the value financial advisers deliver to their clients
BoE's Carney: liquidity support for CCPs is a 'last-resort option'
BoE governor insists clearing houses must have enough liquidity to cope with default of two big member firms
BBB limits in matching adjustment scrapped in Omnibus II deal
Ceiling on BBB-rated bonds and forced sale on downgrade removed from final Omnibus II compromise text
Insurers upgrade management actions models
The missing piece
SwapClear to restart compression in leverage boon for banks
Banks hope for leverage exposure relief after interest rate swap clearer fixes clash with CFTC rules
Structured Products Outlook 2014: Hybrids to shine but retail protection looms
The road ahead: annual outlook for 2014
Ucits derivatives use hamstrung by collateral rules
Asset managers call on regulators to amend Ucits rules
Day-ahead power market coupling sees caution prevail
‘Bugs’ found in NWE day-ahead coupling tests cause exchanges and grid operators to err on the side of caution
German insurers respond to ZZR reserve squeeze
That sinking feeling
Disclosure of Solvency II's long-term measures benefit risks ‘misinterpretation’
Dual-reporting could confuse investors and undermine confidence in the LTG package, say experts
Oil market faces tight deadline for Ice Brent protocol
As Ice prepares to shift Brent expiry calendar on December 6, Isda releases protocol to enable orderly transition of OTC market
Regulators clash on Mifid waivers
Some regulators and brokers have expressed fears that exemptions included in Mifid may mean European rules on trade execution are not equivalent to the US – but a key parliamentarian disagrees
CCPs face $161 billion liquidity shortfall to clear FX options, GFXD finds
Results of an industry study reveal the scale of the liquidity burden that would fall on CCPs clearing physically delivered forex options – but a net settlement mechanism could reduce the number by 73%
Study casts doubt on mandatory futures insurance
Mandatory insurance for assets held by futures brokers would be extremely costly, concludes industry-backed report
Asian dealers 'disappointed' by CFTC clarification of footnote 513
CFTC makes clear swaps between non-US swap dealers and non-US clients will be caught by Dodd-Frank if they are arranged, negotiated or executed by US personnel
Bloomberg, MarketAxess, Tradeweb not complying with Sef rules - Gensler
Sefs "have to come into compliance" with Dodd-Frank rules requiring platforms to provide impartial access, says CFTC chairman