at Financial Technnology Year
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Features in Back-Office Processing Systems
for Operations
Comprehensive platforms managing post-trade workflows, including confirmation, clearing, settlement, and reconciliation across different asset classes.
We ask vendors to mark their product against our feature list. It is not available for all products and in some cases we have derived data from publicly available sources. The list of features follows. Vendors can add a further 10 key features of their own.
Cash and Collateral Management
Features that facilitate tracking, forecasting, and management of client and firm cash positions, as well as margin and collateral requirements.
- Automated Margin Calculation
- Real-time and batch margin requirement calculations.
- Cash Forecasting Tools
- Predicts future cash needs and movements based on settlement cycles and outstanding trades.
- Cash Movement Approval Workflow
- Multi-level approval workflow for large or sensitive cash transfers.
- Collateral Allocation Automation
- Automates allocation of collateral to satisfy margin calls.
- Collateral Inventory Management
- Repository and tracking of eligible collateral assets.
- Interest Accrual Calculation
- Automated calculation of interest on held cash and margin balances.
- Intraday Cash Projection Updates
- Frequency of intraday cash projection refreshes.
- Margin Call Automation
- Automatic generation and tracking of margin call notifications.
- Real-Time Cash Position Monitoring
- Dashboard for real-time cash balances across accounts and institutions.
- Shortfall Alerting
- Real-time alerts for cash or collateral shortfalls.
Client and Account Management
Functionalities for managing client accounts, onboarding, and client communications.
- Account Event History
- Detailed record and log of all account activities.
- Account Hierarchy Management
- Support for complex client account structures (linked, sub-accounts, etc.).
- Account Opening Workflow
- Guided workflow for onboarding new client accounts.
- Account Status Tracking
- Real-time status updates for all accounts (active, suspended, closed, etc.).
- Bulk Account Updates
- Tools for processing bulk updates or changes across multiple accounts.
- Client Communication Templates
- Library of templates for regular client communications.
- Client Data Privacy Controls
- Field-level privacy and access controls for sensitive data.
- Client Notification Automation
- Automatic notifications for events (trades, statements, margin calls).
- Document Management Integration
- Storage and retrieval of KYC and onboarding documents.
- Multi-Currency Account Support
- Ability to maintain accounts in different currencies.
Corporate Actions Processing
Automated handling of corporate actions (dividends, splits, rights, etc.) and their effects on positions.
- Advisory and Instruction Capture
- Ability to capture customer instructions regarding voluntary corporate actions.
- Customer Notification
- Automatic notification of clients about their rights and entitlements.
- Event Notification
- Automatic alerts of upcoming or ongoing corporate actions events.
- Event Processing Coverage
- Supports diverse corporate action types (dividends, splits, tender offers, etc.).
- Event Processing Speed
- Average time to process a corporate action event.
- Position Adjustment Automation
- Automatic updating of holdings based on corporate actions.
- Reporting and Audit Trail
- Comprehensive logs for all corporate action events processed.
- Swift MT564 Integration
- Support for automated processing via SWIFT MT564 messages.
- Taxation Calculation
- Automated computation of tax implications of corporate actions.
- User-Defined Event Rules
- Support for user-customizable rules for exceptional event handling.
Integration and Interoperability
Platform abilities to interface and communicate with internal and external systems.
- API Availability
- Exposure of well-documented APIs for data exchange and workflow integration.
- Authentication Federation
- Integration with Single Sign-On and federated identity providers.
- Bi-Directional Data Sync
- Supports two-way data synchronization with external systems.
- Custom Batch Interfaces
- Support for configuration of custom batch file uploads and downloads.
- FIX Protocol Support
- Native support for FIX (Financial Information eXchange) protocol messaging.
- Latency of Interface
- Average response time for real-time interfaces.
- Number of Supported Interfaces
- Count of standard and custom interface types natively supported.
- Real-Time Data Feeds
- Ability to consume or publish real-time data feeds.
- Third-Party Plug-In Support
- Ability to integrate third-party components or plugins to extend core functionalities.
- Web Services Integration
- Support for REST/SOAP web services.
Reconciliation
Tools and processes for ensuring accuracy and consistency between internal systems and counterparties.
- Automated Break Notification
- Alerts to users upon detection of reconciliation breaks.
- Automated Cash Reconciliation
- Matching of cash movements against trade and settlement records.
- Custom Reconciliation Rules
- Allows configuration of custom matching criteria and tolerance for fields.
- Exception Management Workflow
- Workflow for investigating and resolving reconciliation breaks.
- Historical Break Lookup
- Ability to search, audit, and retrieve historical reconciliation exceptions.
- Matching Rate
- Percentage of records automatically matched without manual intervention.
- Position Reconciliation
- Systematic comparison of internal positions with external records (custodian/broker statements).
- Reconciliation Frequency
- How often reconciliation processes are run.
- Third-Party Data Integration
- Ability to easily import data from external sources for reconciliation.
- Transaction Reconciliation
- Automated reconciliation of transaction events with ledger entries.
Reference Data Management
Management and validation of instrument, entity, and static data required for processing.
- Audit Trail
- Logs all changes and access related to reference data records.
- Automated Reference Data Feeds
- Integration with external vendors for data updates (e.g., instrument master, price feeds).
- Bulk Data Upload
- Import large data sets through batch files (CSV, XML, etc.).
- Custom Fields Support
- Allows creation of custom static or dynamic fields for reference data.
- Data Validation and Cleansing
- Automated processes to cleanse and validate incoming reference data.
- Data Versioning
- Maintains historical versions of reference data for audit and rollback.
- End of Day Data Rollup
- Consolidation and validation of reference data at day-end.
- Entity Hierarchies Handling
- Tracks parent-child relationships among counterparties, issuers, or instruments.
- Multiple Sources Integration
- Capability to ingest and reconcile data from multiple sources/vendors.
- Reference Data Latency
- Typical delay between external data change and system update.
Regulatory and Compliance Management
Features that ensure processes and records comply with regulatory standards, including reporting and surveillance.
- Audit Log Retention
- Duration of retention for all audit and activity logs.
- Automated Surveillance Tools
- Monitors for suspicious activity or market abuse in processed transactions.
- Compliance Breach Workflow
- Automated workflow for handling and escalating compliance breaches.
- Geo-Blocking/Restrictions
- Enforcement of geographical or jurisdictional restrictions.
- KYC and AML Integration
- Integration with Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering systems.
- Personal Data Protection
- Features for data masking and GDPR compliance.
- Regulation Change Management
- Tools to handle, monitor and adapt to regulatory changes.
- Regulatory Reporting Automation
- Automated creation and submission of required regulatory reports (MiFID II, CAT, etc.).
- Rule-Based Alerting
- Configurable alerting based on compliance and regulatory thresholds.
- Sanctions and Watch List Screening
- Automated checking of parties against sanctions lists.
Reporting and Analytics
Capabilities related to report generation, ad-hoc queries, and in-depth analytics of operational data.
- Ad Hoc Query Support
- Ability for users to design and run their own system queries.
- Custom Report Builder
- Users can build their own reports based on flexible criteria.
- Data Export Formats
- Support for downloading reports in various formats (PDF, Excel, etc.).
- Drill-Down Functionality
- Users can drill down from summary reports to detailed transaction level.
- Real-Time Analytics
- Support for real-time dashboards and metrics.
- Report Generation Speed
- Average time to generate a standard report.
- Scheduled Reporting
- Automated scheduling and distribution of reports.
- Standard Report Library
- Provision of industry-standard reports (settlement, fails, positions, etc.).
- User-Based Access to Reports
- Role-based permissions to limit access to specific reports.
- Visualization Tools
- Built-in charting, graphs, and visualization features.
Security and Access Control
All aspects concerning the security, controls, and monitoring of user access and system data.
- Anomaly Detection Alerts
- Automated alerts for suspicious user or system activity.
- Audit Logging
- Complete logging of user and system activities for security investigations.
- Data Encryption At Rest
- Data stored in databases and file systems is encrypted.
- Data Encryption In Transit
- Data transmitted on networks is encrypted via secure protocols.
- Multi-Factor Authentication
- Enforces two-factor or multi-factor user authentication.
- Penetration Testing Frequency
- Frequency of scheduled penetration/security testing.
- Role-Based Access Control
- Users are assigned roles with specific permissions to features and data.
- Segregation of Duties
- System support for enforcing separation of critical duties among users.
- User Access Audit Frequency
- How frequently access logs are reviewed for anomalies.
- User Session Timeout
- Automatic logoff after a period of inactivity.
Settlements and Clearing
Features supporting the post-trade settlement process and connections to clearing systems.
- Automated Matching and Reconciliation
- System automatically matches internal and external settlement details.
- Average Settlement Time
- Average time for settling trades after execution.
- Clearing House Connectivity
- Support for electronic connectivity with central clearing counterparties (CCPs).
- Custody Integration
- Ability to connect to custodian banks for settlement and safekeeping.
- Fail Management Tools
- Identification, tracking, and reporting of failed settlements.
- Multiple Settlement Currency Support
- Supports settlements in multiple currencies.
- Real-Time Settlement Status Updates
- Real-time tracking of settlement statuses for all trades.
- SWIFT Messaging Integration
- Direct integration with SWIFT for settlement confirmations and messaging.
- Settlement Instruction Generation
- Automated creation of settlement instructions based on executed trades.
- Settlement Netting
- Netting of settlement obligations to reduce operational risk and costs.
Trade Capture and Validation
Features concerning the intake, validation, and recording of executed trades across multiple asset classes.
- Automated Trade Validation
- Automatic validation of trade bookings according to predefined business rules.
- Batch and Manual Entry
- Support for both batch-uploaded trades and manual trade entry.
- Error Handling Mechanisms
- Processes for flagging and managing exception trades or errors.
- Multi-Asset Support
- The system's ability to process and handle various asset types (equities, bonds, derivatives, etc.).
- Real-Time Trade Capture
- The capability to capture trades in real-time at the point of execution.
- Throughput Capacity
- Number of trades processed per second.
- Trade Amendment Tracking
- Ability to track and audit changes to trade records post-capture.
- Trade Enrichment
- Enrichment of trades with reference data (e.g., counterparty details).
- Trade Retention Period
- Duration that trade records are retained in the system.
- Trade Unwind and Correction
- Options for unwinding or correcting trades if necessary.