Investment banks have always been quick to embrace new forms of communications technology, but with continued fear of security and the struggle to manage the overall costs of their messaging systems,Patrick Burton asks, are they realising the potential of messaging across the organisation?

Three of the biggest regulations that banks need to comply with overlap. Frances Maguire argues for the common sense of building a single framework to deal with all three.

Advanced electronic trading technologies seem to offer new ways to cut costs while optimising efficiencies. But what impact are these strategies really having, asks Hywel Probert.
Electronic technologies such as algorithmic trading and direct market access (DMA) are big news in the securities world right now, as they threaten to revolutionise the trading landscape with the multiple advantages that they offer.

As SEPA looks to take hold over intra-European transactions, non-eurozone banks will also have to comply by its rules if they wish to trade in Europe. Surely, then, they have the right to have their voices heard by the European Commission. Or do they?

One of the world’s largest money transfer networks, Western Union, has launched a bank.Stephen Timewell finds out what the move offers the network in the long term.

Banks stand to lose huge amounts of profit once real-time banking is implemented, but they can soften the blow with global processing, says
John Bertrand.

Is offshoring mortgage operations to India a long-term trend or a short-term fad?

Regulation may be a burden for banks but consultants and IT firms are turning a profit from their woes. However, Chris Skinner questions whether bankers are too quick to throw money at the problems in search of a quick fix.