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Adnan Masood
Adnan Masood, United Bank Limited (UBL)
The rapid growth of Pakistan’s United Bank Limited has created a complex IT infrastructure. Michelle Price talks to head of core banking Adnan Masood about UBL’s innovative refit of its technology systems.
Search for the Google factor
Online banking is struggling to keep pace with web trends and losing the lucrative social networking market as a result. Some players, however, are on the verge of a breakthrough. Michelle Price reports.
Firewalls hinder progress
Some banks are making efforts to engage with people through virtual worlds and social networks on the internet but their knowledge of this area is still limited – and being excluded by corporate firewalls does not help, writes Chris Skinner.
R Shanx Ravisankar
R Shanx Ravisankar
India’s i-flex Solutions has grown into a market leader in the financial services industry since its launch in 1992. Founder R Shanx Ravisankar tells Stephen Timewell of the challenges that lie ahead for the software provider acquired by Oracle in 2005.
India’s outsourcing reinvention
S D Shibulal, Infosys
Improved education and better living standards mean employees are returning to India, transforming the country’s outsourced financial services. Brian Caplen reports on how the industry has adapted.
Remove brain before work
A recent encounter with a business banker proved that, as far as financial services are concerned, the days of human relationships and judgement calls are over. The computerised process is king. By Chris Skinner.
Steve Randich
Analysts believe that Citi will, ultimately, be able to save close to $110m annually through reduced maintenance costs as well as more rapid development times. Steve Randich talks about the ambitious overhaul of Citi’s banking IT systems, across 67 countries, which took seven years.
Two heads are better than one
Banks and vendors are joining forces to work together to integrate their skill sets and bring new offerings to the market. Alan Duerden looks at some of the partnerships that were forged in 2007 to see how mutually beneficial this trend can be.
Fundamentally flawed thinking
It is high time that retail banks stopped thinking of electronic channels as extensions of the branch and started thinking about the electronic structure as the foundation upon which all the channels, including the branch, are built. By Chris Skinner.
Crime still pays as banks play catch up with the fraudsters
Despite regulatory changes, banks need to take more of a holistic view when it comes to money laundering and fraud. Alan Duerden reports.
Why mobile banking is doomed
If banks really do want to resuscitate personal mobile banking – and they’re spending huge sums doing so – they should look to the internet-based web service to prevent customer angst at the sky-high mobile phone charges. By Chris Skinner.
Donald Donahue
The CEO of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation talks to Alan Duerden on playing the volume and innovation game.
Algorithmic trading: villain or scapegoat?
Time Wildenberg, UBS
Algorithmic trading was blamed for the escalating volatility spikes in August. Frances Maguire asks if this is a fair criticism as well as looking at how algorithms are getting smarter.
The science of buyology
Although biology is a well-known science, there is a lesser-known science with the a deceptively similar name: buyology. I created this science for banks to deal with the new world of ‘freakonomics’, where everyone is struggling to understand the methods to get customers buying and, in its purest form, buyology is defined as: the science of understanding business relationships.
Rob Close
The CEO of CLS Bank International details the technological challenges of keeping pace with the fast-changing dynamics of FX settlement. Alan Duerden reports.
CIOs on the back foot over handheld device security
Chris Mayers, Citrix’s principle security architect
Companies should be worried about the very real threat of security breaches in the mobile device space and ensure that effective counter measures are put in place. Alan Duerden explains.
Subprimers’ short memories
The lessons of the losses experienced by Lloyd’s of London in the 1980s were overlooked by banks embroiled in the subprime crisis, who recklessly issued vast amounts of collateralised debt obligations. By Chris Skinner.
David Lester
David Lester, London Stock Exchange (LSE)
The chief information officer of the London Stock Exchange discusses its new core trading system, TradElect, with Alan Duerden.
Over-the-counter remedy needed
Over-the-counter derivatives, specifically credit derivatives, have exploded on to the trading scene in recent years. In a technologically rich, standardised environment, the processing of OTC products still has a way to go. Alan Duerden reports.
All tagged up for algorithmic trading
John Bates, co-founder of Apama
News providers now have products that allow algorithms to track specific news events and interpret them. Alan Duerden assesses the virtues of these ‘tagged’ news feeds and investigates their benefits for traders.
CROs and CIOs are the same
Chief information officers complain that no one else in the business, least of all CEOs, realises that information is a core risk for a bank and must be managed. The best way is with the co-operation of the chief risk officer, says Chris Skinner.
Risk and compliance in the same orbit
Heather McKenzie reports on the factors forcing financial companies to place regulatory compliance in the risk management sphere.
Ron van Wezel
The new chairman of Mobey Forum talks to Stephen Timewell about the future of facilitating payments using a mobile phone.
How to foil cyber bank robbers
Rekha Menon reports on the ruses used by hackers to steal from online banking users and the relatively successful industry response.
The Long Tail of banking
Last year, there was a big buzz about a book by Chris Anderson called The Long Tail, which describes the phenomenon of internet retailing. The concept is that traditional shops have a physical limit on shelf capacity so, for example, a music store can only stock as many titles as its physical space allows.
S Ramadorai & Sunil Chopra
The CEO and the UK and Ireland vice-president and head of banking and financial services, respectively, of Tata Consultancy Services discuss the company’s global strategy. Neil Tyler reports.
The smart route for high volume trades
Richard Balarkas, Credit Suisse
Forget speed of access to a single trading execution venue – coping with the volumes is becoming the biggest challenge for Europe’s traders, and their ability to exploit smart order routing technology will be key. Tony Gandy explains.
Eastern Europeans leapfrog western counterparts
Priit Põldoja,
Arriving late on the modern banking scene, institutions in central and eastern Europe have not been weighed down by the baggage of complex legacy systems. Technology being implemented in the region is now finding its way west, writes Rekha Menon.
Is the dealer dead?
All the talk of dealers and brokers giving up the ghost as a result of technology, regulation and margins is pure balderdash. They will take a leaf out of IFAs’ book by working harder to justify their existence and becoming more sought after.
By Chris Skinner.
Paul Galant
Citigroup’s managing director explains the benefits of digitising payments. Joshua Weinberger reports.
Integration takes leap of faith
Could the difficulties surrounding integration of the front, middle and back offices be political rather than technical? Alan Duerden reports.
All hail the superchip
The sky is the limit when it comes to the power of the chip – and size is certainly everything. Imagine a device as big as a flea that carries a complete biometric identity management system of your clients. By Chris Skinner.
Russia bids for a slice of the outsourcing action
Of the BRIC countries, India and China have been the driving forces on the outsourcing front. Now Russia – with its smaller, highly qualified team model – is stepping into the fray. Dan Barnes reports.
Protection from prying eyes
The inexorable advances in storage capacity of simple-to-use USB devices makes bank databases increasingly vulnerable, and internal firewalls as well as devicewalls increasingly necessary.By Chris Skinner.
Carl-Henric Svanberg
The CEO of Sweden’s telecommunications giant Ericsson, Carl-Henric Svanberg, talks to Stephen Timewell and Oscar Wendel about the prospects for mobile banking services.
Hishem Laroussi
The CIO and executive vice-president of newly formed Yapi Kredi tells Dan Barnes of the challenges involved in successfully merging the IT systems of two banks with divergent platforms and cultures.
Virtually obsolete
The brave new world of Web 2.0 will require a brave new approach from banks if they are to keep their customers, writes Joshua Weinberger.
Gateway to automation
Tim Berners-Lee: a driving force who aims to make the internet a more sophisticated business tool
Due to lack of investment, over-the-counter derivatives trading practices remain hopelessly unautomated. But, as Natasha de Terán reports, an industry-wide solution using web-based technology is in the pipeline.
The march of the automatons
The drive for achieving ever-faster trade execution speeds in capital markets means that any glitch, gremlin or gulp will lead to serious consequences in terms of lost business and margin erosion. This makes the technologist’s role ever more vital. By Chris Skinner.
The hi-tech lowdown for 2007
Dan Barnes canvasses the views of senior technologists within the banking industry on the innovation challenges they are preparing for during the remainder of this year.
The invisible revolution cometh
According to a report by the Pelorus Group, payment volumes for contactless, mobile and biometric payments will rise to $400bn by 2011 from today’s measly $27bn. This misses the real point, which is that traditional payment mechanisms are rapidly becoming obsolete.
Identity Fraud Round Table
“Phishing” attacks and improvements in ID fraud prevention were the two key topics discussed at The Banker’s Identity Fraud Round Table in London on 5 December, chaired by Contributing Editor Michael Imeson.
