On 21 Nov 2008 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com, RDR-The Corporation, Reference Data Review 
Euroclear has continued on the acquisition trail this month by signing an agreement with the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) whereby Euroclear will acquire 100% of Xtrakter, the ICMA subsidiary, for an undisclosed cash amount. Ignace Combes, deputy CEO of Euroclear, explains that the acquisition is part of the firm’s drive to broaden its trade matching service offering with more asset classes and extended life cycle management.
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On 10 Nov 2008 in A-Team Delivery Terms, A-Team Free, AMIT-Risk Management, AMIT-The Corporation, AsiaMarketsIT.com, MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com 
Following its purchase of Iris in August, risk and regulatory compliance solution provider FRSGlobal has continued on its acquisition trail with the purchase of regulatory reporting specialist BusinessObjects Secam+, from Business Objects, an SAP company. According to the vendor, the acquisition strengthens its strategic relationship with SAP and enables it to extend its reach into the Japanese and Korean markets.
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On 10 Nov 2008 in MM-The Corporation, MM-Transparency, MiFIDMonitor.com
UBS Investment Bank has purchased a minority stake in corporate governance research and ratings firm Governance Metrics International (GMI). As a result of the arrangement, UBS analysts will have access to GMI’s proprietary content and database, which the bank hopes will enable them to factor governance ratings into their stock research.
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On 03 Nov 2008 in MM-Clearing & Settlement, MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com
Euroclear has finally acquired the Nordic Central Securities Depository (NCSD) and its subsidiaries, the Finnish and Swedish central securities depositories (CSDs), APK and VPC, following the approval of the deal by the relevant regulatory bodies. All of the platforms will be integrated into the Euroclear Group and APK will be renamed Euroclear Finland and VPC will become Euroclear Sweden.
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On 13 Oct 2008 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com
European regulatory compliance software firm b-next Engineering has opened a sales office in London and announced plans to open another office in Milan in the near future. The firm is headquartered in Herford, Germany, and already has offices in Frankfurt and Zurich.
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On 30 Sep 2008 in A-Team Insight Quarterly, ATIQ-Features, ATIQ-Issue 5 - Q3 2008, MM-Industry Initiatives, MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com, RDR-Industry Initiatives, RDR-The Corporation, Reference Data Review
Twelve months ago, CEO Lázaro Campos announced plans for restructuring Swift’s management and refocusing its energies on better meeting customer needs. How much progress has been made since and what does it mean for Swift’s Securities business?
By Virginie O’Shea, Contributing Editor, A-Team Group
It’s been a turbulent year for the markets and a hectic year for Swift. The markets’ volatility, as well as the exits, entrances and market initiatives that have occurred over the past 12 months are well documented. For Swift, Lázaro Campos’s succession to the leadership position in February last year marked the start of a catalogue of management changes, not least of which was the resignation of securities head Jim Donovan the same month that Campos became CEO.
Read the rest of this article in the September 2008 issue of A-Team IQ.
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On 29 Aug 2008 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com, RDR-Risk Management, RDR-The Corporation, Reference Data Review
FRSGlobal, a global provider of regulatory reporting solutions, has acquired Iris integrated risk management, a provider of risk management solutions, which enables it to introduce a combined risk and regulatory reporting solution for financial services. The deal will also allow the vendor to expand its regional coverage, according to Steve Husk, CEO of FRSGlobal.
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On 30 Jul 2008 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com, RDR-Corporate Actions, Reference Data Review
Wolters Kluwer Financial Services has purchased Compliance Online, an online compliance information provider focused on regulatory information, analysis, news and value-added commentary for the UK’s financial services market.
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On 01 Mar 2007 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com
U.K. connectivity and execution management system provider Fidessa has gone public with its plans for MiFID. The move is the culmination of some 18 months of discussions with industry practitioners, clients and regulators.
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On 01 Mar 2007 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com
French trading and order management software provider GL Trade last month released a comprehensive white paper outlining its own approach to MiFID while discussing in some detail the business and technical implications of important elements of the directive. Not unlike its closest rival – the U.K.’s Fidessa – GL Trade’s main MiFID initiatives play to its strengths: in market data feed aggregation, best execution, client order handling, transparency, trade reporting, internalization and record-keeping.
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On 01 Mar 2007 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com
In an approach its says contrasts with the “MiFID compliant” branding tactic being employed by many solutions vendors, Atos Euronext Market Solutions (AEMS), provider of technology including to the Euronext exchanges, is seeking to engage in “strategic conversations” with its clients as they establish what they need and want to do to prepare for MiFID. “Our clients are expressing their needs, which range from specific compliance requirements to global business driven strategic projects,” says Ken Tregidgo, global head of strategy and business development and executive vice president at AEMS. “But the issue is, while you can look at MiFID as a compliance activity, it’s actually sufficiently broad to impact the bulk of your infrastructure, and therefore it’s probably most efficient to fold MiFID into the other activities under way within the organisation. You should factor your MiFID programme into your roadmap,” he contends.
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On 01 Jun 2006 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com
Microsoft Corp. has issued its newly appointed capital markets manager for Europe explicit instructions to drive the company’s focus on the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). The new drive underscores Microsoft’s recognition of MiFID as a major driver of European business in the short-to-medium term.
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On 01 Jun 2006 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com
Unveiling a collaborative approach with clients in their MiFID initiatives at its Europa customer pow-wow in Barcelona this month, Sungard plans to leverage existing offerings from its extensive product lineup to meet the specific needs presented by various articles of the regulation.
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On 01 Jun 2006 in MM-The Corporation, MiFIDMonitor.com
Microsoft Corp. has issued its newly appointed capital markets manager for Europe explicit instructions to drive the company’s focus on the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). The new drive underscores Microsoft’s recognition of MiFID as a major driver of European business in the short-to-medium term.
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