A collision with realityDominic Hobson

If not them, then who?Alexandra DeLuca

Cross-margining conundrumThe final detailed rules for centralized clearing of swaps are still awaited, but hedge funds are concerned that detailed measures proposed by the CFTC will make centralized clearing even more expensive than they had anticipated by preventing netting of collateral demands by FCMs

2012 OTC Derivatives Prime Brokerage Survey

KAS Bank becomes risk manager to pension funds

Avoiding headline riskAs our diarist made the winter party rounds, she collects some tales of yore from revelers who are eager to stay out of her column

Marianne Brown, CEO of OmgeoOctober 2011 marked the fifth anniversary of the arrival of Brown as CEO of the post-trade processing joint venture between Thomson Reuters and the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC). Then, her goals were to do more of the same, chiefly by growing rapidly in Europe and moving the Omgeo matching technologies into other asset classes. Did she succeed?

Geoff Cook of Brown Brothers Harriman

Saving China's banksOn paper, the Chinese banks are just fine. Non-performing loans are still less than 1% of assets. The banks are fairly well capitalized. And there have been few if any bank runs. At the same time, China is a nation littered with empty apartment blocks - in some cases, near empty cities - and crisscrossed by a network of expensive highways and rail lines that can't support themselves. The economy is slowing, getting perilously close to levels that economists say won't provide enough growth to keep unemployment in check and the masses happy

Wise beyond its yearsAustralia's superannuation fund industry continues to astound with its size and ongoing growth - not bad for a 20-year-old industry that started with AU$126 billion in AuM and mandatory employer contributions (9%) toward employees' annual salaries. Now, a series of reforms aims to ensure its growth and stability for the next two decades

The unclear path of T2SJanet Du Chenne

How to automate a margin callIn a market where only the liquid survive, and liquidity hinges on eligible collateral, the efficient management of collateral can make the distinction between extinction and survival. Yet the drive for efficiency in collateral management has so far focused on closing collateralized trades, not the servicing of collateral after the trade has settled. One company is now offering a solution to the challenge of making those daily margin calls, recalls and substitutions

Hand it over!Form PF - and the deluge of data points requested by the SEC - promises to be an operational headache for hedge fund managers. For managers not willing to shoulder the cost of compliance, how can service providers ease the pain?

Rethinking the mutual fundInvestors, fund managers and service providers are all playing their parts in the gradual transformation of the mutual fund industry

Cautious growth in AfricaThe improving regulatory and infrastructure landscape in Sub-Saharan Africa means good prospects for cross-border investing and securities services in the region. At present, the focus of most sub-custodians is basic asset servicing and safekeeping, and network managers are encouraged by the strengthened presence of some of the larger regional providers and the outlook for other value-added services

Standard Chartered Bank: Taking the long view in frontier marketsStandard Chartered has boosted its sub-custody presence through the Barclays acquisition in Africa and through organic growth in the Middle East, betting on the long-term prospects in these frontier markets

The altruism of psychopathsWhy do we praise generous acts more when they seem more selfless?