Waters Wavelength

We’re stepping a little outside the box this week! Garry Cooper, CEO and co-founder at Rheaply, joins Tony on the podcast to discuss the circular economy. Rheaply is a software-as-a-service company that helps enterprises re-source assets and services. 5:30 – Garry joins the podcast and defines the circular economy. 7: 30 – Then, he details problems with the circular economy and how his company, Rheaply, fits in. 9: 30 – Garry explains the concept of sharing the sugar and how Rheaply technology helps global banks. 13:00 – How important is data to reuse efforts? 17:00 – Is there a way to automate some of the manual processes of gleaning that data? 20:00 - Garry explains how he got into sustainability. 24:00 – Can the circular economy help with inflationary and supply chain issues? 25:30 – How do we convince local governments to take more steps contributing to the reuse initiative? 31:00 – What’s the most random thing Rheaply has ever taken inventory of?

This week, we have a return guest on the podcast. Likhit Wagle, general manager of global banking and financial markets at IBM, joins Tony to discuss mainframe modernization and its importance, particularly since it will be a while before banks put a substantial portion of their mission-critical workloads onto the public cloud. 5:00 –Wagle joins the podcast and details why it’s necessary to consider mainframe modernization efforts. 8:30 – He says banks need to prioritize which applications should be modernized and rationalized. 10:00 – It will take some time before banks put a substantial chunk of particularly mission-critical workloads onto the public cloud. 11:00 – Firms want to be cloud native. Why is it important to modernize mainframes if the end goal is to move away from them? 15:00 – Wagle says the winning strategy is a hybrid strategy—public, private, on-prem. 16:30 – Then, he walks through IBM’s latest z15 mainframe, and the new version, which will come out in early 2022. 18:00 – Where do mainf

This week, Geoff Horrell, head of innovation at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), joins the podcast to talk about the exchange’s innovation strategy after the Refinitiv acquisition, deep learning, and the ideation process. 5:00 – Geoff joins the podcast and gives an overview of his remit at LSEG. 7:00 – Then, he explains what has changed since LSEG acquired Refinitiv and how that expands the coverage area of LSEG Labs. 9:00 – Geoff walks through some examples of innovation in post-trade and capital markets space. 11:30 – They discuss the ideation process at LSEG Labs. 14:30 – It’s about identifying ‘quick wins.’ 16:00 – Geoff talks about a recent project LSEG Labs built. 23:00 – Moving forward, LSEG Labs will prioritize projects in sustainable finance and digital assets. 27:00 – Fresh off the LSEG Labs AI/ML 2021 report, Geoff explains one of the key findings: deep learning is now the favored type of machine learning. 35:00 – They wrap up discussing innovation in Emea and Asia versus the US.

This week, Lou Maiuri, COO at State Street, joins Tony on the podcast to discuss State Street’s acquisition of Brown Brothers Harriman’s Investor Services business and the firm’s strategy beyond that. They also cover how firms can build interoperability within the organization and some of the challenges with the new landscape of working remotely. 6:00 – Lou joins the podcast and gives a breakdown of his responsibilities at State Street. 9:00 – Then, he details how State Street’s acquisition of Brown Brothers Harriman’s Investor Services business is really a consolidation deal with many plusses. 11:30 – BBH’s Investor Services business is “the god of small things.” 12:30 – Lou says the deal is strategic and is accretive to State Street’s strategy. 14:00 – They discuss how retaining talent and executing the integration is the next key step. 18:30 – Customers want technology that speaks the same language. 23:30 – It’s not a good model if customers don’t have choices. 32:30 – They close out talking about how rem

Happy Labor Day! This week on the podcast, Wei-Shen, and Tony discuss how Big Tech firms are eyeing more of the capital markets space and the roadblocks they may face. We talk about a recent column written by our very own Josephine Gallagher and some of the other Waters Wrap columns written by Tony. https://www.waterstechnology.com/buy-side-technology/7835481/a-tale-of-two-titans-microsoft-vs-bloomberg https://www.waterstechnology.com/topics/waters-wrap

Kris Hopkins, head of capital markets at SBI Digital Markets, the Singaporean subsidiary of SBI Digital Assets, joined the Waters Wavelength Podcast to talk about digital assets and why he thinks capital markets firms should get more involved. 2:00 Kris joins the podcast and talks about how he started his career as an intern at the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange. 4.30 How is the capital markets dealing with digital assets today? He says these new asset classes will have to ingrain themselves in the traditional institutions at some point. 7.30 Kris discusses why he decided to join SBI Digital. 12:30 Digital assets are not all about crypto. The challenge is that people generally think it is. 13:00 Another angle is asset tokenization, which can be compelling for capital markets firms. 16:00 Security token offerings are regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. That gives people and organizations a wider range of investment opportunities to look into. 22:00 One of the challe

This week, Wei-Shen and Tony discuss climate change and how it will accelerate climate migration. Then, Shen gives a breakdown of her journey back to Hong Kong and how the early days of quarantine have been

The pandemic has been a lot about “glow ups” and, equally, “glow downs” on a social and individual level. This week, Wei-Shen and Tony discuss how Covid-19 impacted our usual habits, from working out in the mornings to having a better sleep schedule. With many of us still experiencing a languishing blend of work/gym/home life, how do we get back on track and form better habits? How do we come out of this? And, can companies help in any way? Yes, they can. Sure, there are limits to what (and how much) they can do to help, but every little gesture counts. How can they instill positivity in their staff?

Shameek Kundu, former chief data officer at Standard Chartered, and now head of financial services and chief strategy officer at Truera, a startup dedicated to building trust in AI, joined the Waters Wavelength Podcast to talk about AI explainability and how regulators approach the use of AI. 5:00 Shameek joins the podcast and talks about the speed and focus that moving to a startup has given him. 10:00 While today there is broad adoption of AI within the capital markets firms, the depth may not be there. 11:30 The question cannot always be, ‘Why not use AI?’ It could also be, ‘Why do I use AI?’ 14:30 Shameek says infrastructure for building and deploying ML models is still an art more than science. 15:30 The barriers that exist for AI in capital markets is the lack of trustworthiness and reliability of those models over time. 21:30 Not many firms have a mature data and infrastructure blueprint to allow for AI innovation. 23:00 Shameek adds that in some ways, the data translator role is a stop-gap measur

This week, Wei-Shen and Tony give listeners an overview of our three heavy-hitters of the week. https://www.waterstechnology.com/data-management/7842386/putting-the-green-in-green-data-rise-of-impact-investing-drives-esg-ma https://www.waterstechnology.com/emerging-technologies/7841241/technical-difficulties-openfin-says-its-committed-to-fdc3-while-others-have-their-doubts https://www.waterstechnology.com/data-management/7841696/one-step-closer-how-exchanges-are-seeking-tighter-relationships-with-clients They start with Max Bowie’s ESG consolidation story first. Then they hit on Reb Natale’s piece on interoperability (Tony’s favorite topic) and OpenFin’s commitment to FDC3. Then Shen gives a summary of the exchange data licenses story she and Joanna Wright wrote.

This week, Shen and Tony delve a little into Facebook and Apple’s privacy feud, in which Apple is, in an iOS update, prompting users to give apps permission to track their activity. Facebook could be hurt by this move as it directly threatens revenue from targeted ads. How does that argument fit into overall privacy concerns as people start to go into hybrid remote-working models? Shen and Tony discuss how surveillance technology and compliance tools can dig into people’s privacy. But if people want to work with a bit more freedom or have the option to, what is that privacy trade-off? Then, Tony brings up his favorite topic, app interoperability, and how it could create privacy concerns we’ve not thought about before.

This week’s episode is all about Tony! First off, he’s now fully vaccinated! Wei-Shen calls him out for bragging that he doesn’t (usually) get reactions to vaccines. Tony also had his first in-person interview at the very-loved White Horse Tavern in Downtown Manhattan. We discuss his issues with anxiety and how he has dealt with it so far. Then, they discuss how things will start to change when people start to go back to offices. There will be new anxieties that people have to deal with. How do firms manage that without alienating their workforce? How do they encourage their people to overcome their anxieties instead of shrinking away from things that make them uncomfortable? The key, we think, is also in showing empathy, even when we don’t fully understand the why or how.

This week, Keiren Harris, strategy-based market data consultant and the founder of DataCompliance, joins Wei-Shen on the podcast to discuss how exchanges in Asia are approaching their data business. Keiren also writes about market data issues on MarketData.Guru. Also, next week from May 17 through to May 20, we have the WatersTechnology Innovation Exchange Data Insights Spotlight. Check out the agenda here. https://events.waterstechnology.com/innovation-exchange-data/agenda 5:00 Keiren joins the podcast, and they start with how things are literally heating up in Hong Kong. 7:00 He explains how exchanges are transitioning from providing raw data service to one where they’re adding value to their products, and the challenges in doing so. 10:00 Asian exchanges are a bit farther in the development of their data service. 13:00 The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has refocused over the years to develop its index business. 17:00 Keiren says the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is the classic transition exchange in

This week, Annie Wu, senior conference producer at Infopro Digital (WatersTechnology’s owner), joins Wei-Shen on the Waters Wavelength Podcast. They talk about the switch from physical to virtual events, AI matching engines for networking, and the future of capital markets events. Annie also gives a preview of our upcoming events—WatersTechnology Innovation: Data Insights Spotlight and WatersTechnology Innovation Exchange: Business Strategy & Leadership Spotlight. https://events.waterstechnology.com/innovation-exchange-data https://events.waterstechnology.com/innovation-exchange-leadership

This week, Robert Wigley, chairman at UK Finance, joins Wei-Shen on the Waters Wavelength podcast to talk about his new book ‘Born Digital’ and how firms can attract Gen-Z talent. 7:00 Bob joins the podcast and gives an overview of his book ‘Born Digital.’ 10:00 He explains how purpose has changed. Gen-Z particularly looks to join companies that serve some societal purpose too. 13:00 How can companies in the capital markets drive sustainability and inclusivity in their hiring policies and actually put words into action. 17:00 Achieve, or explain! 18:00 Bob explains the concept of ‘phigital workspaces’ and how biophilic workplaces are becoming more popular. 21:00 The challenge in this more blurred workplace environment is how companies can reinforce teamwork and facilitate innovation. 23:00 Demonstrating technology sophistication is a key criteria for Gen-Z. 28:00 Every company has its own culture, but they should recognize that it can impact how they attract new talent. 31:00 It all comes down to recogni

Eugene Stern, head of market risk product, and Brad Foster, head of enterprise data content at Bloomberg respectively, join the Waters Wavelength Podcast to talk about a range of topics relating to the Fundamental Review of the Trading Book and how firms are looking for product offerings that are more modular and flexible. 4:00 Eugene and Brad join the podcast. 6:00 Eugene talks about why firms are still struggling with FRTB implementations. 10:00 Brad details the data challenge and how it presents an opportunity for banks to review their data management strategies. 13:30 To have that consistency and alignment in data management strategies, what do firms need to address today? 16:00 FRTB brings about a change in the balance between regulatory capital calculations and risk measures for internal risk management. For example, the internal model approach has gotten very challenging to implement due to very specific requirements. Instead, banks are tending towards the standardized approach from a reg cap perspe

On this episode of the Wavelength Podcast, Wei-Shen and Tony discuss their backup data habits.

On this episode of the Wavelength Podcast, Wei-Shen and Tony discuss tech disruption in the bar industry.

George Mussalli, chief investment officer of equity investments at the firm, and Mike Chen, the firm’s director of portfolio management and sustainable investing, joined the Waters Wavelength Podcast to talk about a range of topics relating to ESG. Innovation Exchange: Mike Chen will be a speaker at this year’s Innovation Exchange, a virtual conference that will be held from March 22-25. To listen to Chen’s panel discussion and others, you can register here: https://events.waterstechnology.com/innovation-exchange-tech/register-now?form_track=podcast 2:00 To start, George and Mike give background on PanAgora and the firm’s ultimate investment strategy. 6:00 Mike explains what ESG means to PanAgora. 9:00 George lays out the ultimate investment objective for a chief investment officer when incorporating ESG into a portfolio. 15:00 Let’s get hypothetical: A company is extremely climate efficient and has extremely high employee satisfaction, but they have terrible board diversity and make monetary contribution

On this episode of the Wavelength Podcast, Wei-Shen and Tony talk about the importance of communication when it comes to M&A activity within a company.