CFTC Swaps Report Update

Date 04/12/2018

To honor the memory of President George H. W. Bush, December 5, 2018 is a National Day of Mourning, and the U.S. Government will be closed.

New York State Department of Financial Services Continues To Lead Responsible Innovation In New York’s FinTech Industry With New Virtual Currency Approval For Commercial Banking Transactions

Date 04/12/2018

Financial Services Superintendent Maria T. Vullo today announced that the Department of Financial Services (DFS) has authorized New York State-chartered Signature Bank to offer a new digital payment platform named Signet.  The Signet platform leverages blockchain technology to allow Signature Bank’s commercial clients to transfer “Signets” to make payments with no transaction fees, at any time of the day, year-round.  DFS’s approval includes required conditions to ensure that the bank maintains robust policies and procedures to address risks and ensure compliance with New York’s strong standards and regulations regarding anti-money laundering, anti-fraud, and consumer protection measures.

BOX Options Market: Contrary Intention Cut-Off Time Extended To 10:00 AM ET For Series Expiring On Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Date 04/12/2018

BOX Options Market (“BOX”) will be closed on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, for a National Day of Mourning for former President George H.W. Bush.  Per BOX Rule 9000(i), Modification of Cut-Off Time, BOX will extend the cut-off time for submitting contrary intensions to 10:00 AM ET on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, for series expiring on December 5, 2018.  

Nasdaq Acquires Quandl To Advance The Use Of Alternative Data - Acquisition Aligns With Nasdaq’s Strategy To Expand Technology And Analytics Offering

Date 04/12/2018

Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) announced today it has acquired Quandl, Inc., a leading provider of alternative and core financial data.

Artemis.bm: Jurisdictional Competition Should Grow The ILS Pie: BSX CEO

Date 04/12/2018

Artemis, a news, analysis and data media service, released an on-line article 29 November 2018, titled “Jurisdictional competition should grow the ILS pie: BSX CEO”. The full release from Artemis stated:

Competition between the widening array of regulatory jurisdictions that offer insurance-linked securities (ILS) platforms for market structures and services should serve to grow the size of the market, making shared experiences important so each can learn from others lessons learned.

Shira Pavis Minton, Ethics Counsel, To Retire From The SEC After 20 Years Of Federal Service

Date 04/12/2018

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Shira Pavis Minton, Ethics Counsel and Designated Agency Ethics Official, will be retiring from the agency this month after more than 20 years of federal service and nearly 10 years with the SEC. 

CFTC Commitments Of Traders Reports Update

Date 04/12/2018

To honor the memory of President George H. W. Bush, December 5, 2018 is a National Day of Mourning, and the U.S. Government will be closed.

EEX New Participant: Vattenfall Energy Trading GmbH

Date 04/12/2018

Vattenfall Energy Trading GmbH has been additionally admitted to exchange trading for UK Financial Power Futures.

EBA Publishes Final Guidelines On The Exemption From The Fall Back Mechanism Under The RTS On SCA And CSC

Date 04/12/2018

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today its final Guidelines on the conditions that account servicing payment service providers (ASPSPs) must meet in order to be exempted from the obligation to implement the fallback mechanism under the Regulation (EU) 2018/389 on strong customer authentication and common and secure communication (RTS on SCA&CSC). The Guidelines aim at providing clarity to ASPSPs and national competent authorities (CAs) regarding the elements that should be considered for the purpose of an exemption and at ensuring a consistent application of the conditions for an exemption across the 28 EU Member States.

FTSE Russell Launches New Green Real Estate Indexes

Date 04/12/2018

• New FTSE EPRA Nareit Green Indexes allow investors to integrate climate risk into listed real estate portfolios
• Provide a similar returns profile to their parent index, but materially enhances climate exposure in building energy efficiency, green certification and carbon emissions
• Innovative tools to help drive ambitious global sustainability agenda
• Real estate sector currently accounts for 28% of global carbon emissions
• US $341 billion of assets currently benchmarked to underlying FTSE EPRA Nareit Global Real Estate Indexes