Please note the following with this posting.
1. The Isle of Wight swim: please give me a heads up if you’re
aware of anyone with MND.
2. The
forthcoming John Lothian education event in London
3. Do enjoy
the Rugby World Cup, whoever your team.
Well, after much preparation, conditions did not lend themselves
to the Isle of Wight crossing going ahead.
I always knew health and safety was a risk...and so it was.
That said, it takes nothing away from the frustration.
I geddit: The Harbour Master has to have his (/her) say, as
after all there is a shipping channel to cross; The RNLI have to have their
say, as they're on the water on standby; and The Organisers and support crew
have to have their say, because they want to host an event of good repute and
be able to adequately support the swimmers.
As a participant, you hear the logic but you do feel there is no
voice calling out to say, well maybe we could try this, or that. (I did suggest
entering the water up-current and making a final call on the channel crossing
once we were actually at the shipping lane, which is a good 40mins into the
swim, allowing time for the weather to break).
Then what about fund raising? What do you say to people that
sponsor you...for an event you don't do?
Anyway, rant over (and I do see the selfishness of this).
I'm just grateful to have the luxury of the opportunity to take
up the challenge.
There were 2 reasons I chose to take up the Solent
challenge.
My mother had initially sewn the seed in 2013. A friend of hers,
Ian Pratt, had been diagnosed with MND and the swim was being done in his
honour.
Her logic: She likes Ian and I like swimming.
But the real catalyst was when, after returning from another
stint in Australia
and
We’re lucky to have choices, even if they are not always easy
ones...but we have choices.
My heart goes out to those who don’t have choices, like those
with MND.
The image with this weeks blog is Dave and I with the Isle of Wight in the background.
Not prepared to settle down, Dave has…
… just started to investigate with the MND Association as to the
possibility of setting up a City Network for MND with the goal of raising
awareness and funds. I'm therefore interested in finding out through my
contacts, if they know of anyone in the City who has been "touched"
by MND in some way. That is people who have it, like myself, and are still
relatively healthy or people that are caring for or have cared for or who know
friends, family and colleagues with it.
If you think that you know someone whose life has been touched
by MND, please do let me know and I’ll pass your details onto Dave.
Events & John Lothian
I have been a long term fan of John Lothian News, indeed, an
important news feed for me, for many of my blog musings.
The team there also do a tremendous amount of good work in terms
of educating both new and old on what is happening in our markets. E.g.http://www.marketswiki.com/
Occasionally, they come to visit London
Do feel free to pass this link:
Blockchain and Disruptive Technology
Whose doing what?
I’m pulling together a matrix of all the providers and vendors
in the space.
My objective is to end up with a sample of ‘real’ use cases
(supported by web sites with tangible content).
This is one starting point.
Ripple Labs
Ripple Unveils Next-Generation System for Digital Transaction
Consensus
Basically Ripple have published a White Paper: The Ripple
Protocol Consensus Algorithm (RPCA) which takes a new look at getting around
the burdensome proof-of-work.
The goal of the RPCA is to make it possible for a globally
disconnected network to agree without relying on proof-of-work infrastructure.
Each server in the Ripple network is tasked with voting on a new
batch of candidate transactions during rounds that take place every few
seconds. Transactions agreed upon by the network are confirmed and made
permanent once the round closes.
This approach is different from bitcoin’s, for which several
confirmations by the mining network are often needed before bitcoins can be
used or re-spent. Election node systems have been utilized in other block chain
applications in the past, including projects like darkcoin that mix
transactions through a network of master nodes.
Full paper available here:
Symphony
Google Alphabet is to participate in a new round of funding for
bank-backed messaging platform Symphony, valuing the startup at $650 million.
The financial institutions partnering to establish this new
communication ecosystem include BofA Merrill Lynch, BNY Mellon, BlackRock,
Citadel, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies,
JPMorgan, Maverick, Morgan Stanley, Nomura and Wells Fargo.
What's the difference between Google and Alphabet?
Most of Alphabet's staff still work for Google, which remains
the corporate home of Android, YouTube, Google Apps, Google Maps and Google
Ads, as well as the eponymous search engine that started it all. Another seven
companies have been established as Alphabet subsidiaries. These are Calico,
Google Life Sciences, Nest Labs, Google Fiber, Google X, Google Ventures and
Google Capital.
and some good (cynical) comments at the foot of this article.
Banking
£400 million – to be spent on RBS and NatWest branches
refurbishments this year, with 16 a week expected at the programme’s peak
2% – of payments and transfers by HSBC customers are now done in
a branch
The Bank of England on Cash (and the future of)
..Despite the advancements in technology, cash continues to
offer a unique set of attributes as a medium of exchange that sets it apart from
the alternatives. The Bank commissioned 2014 survey found that people like cash
because it is:
· Fast and
convenient;
· Universally
accepted;
· Helpful
for budget management;..
· provides
immediate final settlement at no visible to the consumer;
· with no
reliance on technology and central infrastructure; and
· is
entirely anonymous, enabling transfers of value without any record being kept.
Bank of England quarterly bulletin update on OTC Clearing.
Over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets have grown
significantly over recent decades. These markets facilitate the hedging of
risk, but they can also give rise to complex exposures within the financial
system. These include the greater use of central counterparties (CCPs) to
‘centrally clear’ transactions, managing risk within the system. The
concentration of risk within CCPs does however highlight other challenges,
including the need for supervisory co-operation internationally. Authorities
are working to address these issues.
The Forum
The Bank will hold an Open Forum on 11 November in the
Guildhall. To map a positive future for financial markets, the event will
bring together policymakers, financial market participants and users,
academics, media representatives and wider society.
Public registration is now open. The online portal will be available until 23 October, with attendance determined shortly thereafter by a ballot.
Public registration is now open. The online portal will be available until 23 October, with attendance determined shortly thereafter by a ballot.
Bank of England will announce the results of the UK
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has
today published a report on the regulatory consistency of risk-weighted assets
(RWAs) for counterparty credit risk. This study is a part of its wider
Regulatory Consistency Assessment Programme (RCAP), which is intended to ensure
consistent implementation of the Basel III framework.
Foreign Exchange Benchmarks: Report on progress in
implementing the September 2014 recommendations
In 2014 the FSB published
recommendations for reforms to foreign exchange (FX) benchmarks. The
recommendations responded to concerns raised about the integrity of FX
benchmarks stemming particularly from the incentives for potential market
malpractice linked to the structure of trading around the benchmark fixings.
This report draws on assessments of progress made by the main foreign exchange
committees, as well as by central banks in other large FX centres, to meet the
2014 recommendations.
Santander Group chair Ana Botin has called for a level playing field between banks and the raft of new tech firms looking to muscle their way into the financial services industry.
Although hailing the fact that digital has enabled
BRITISH INFLUENCE: EU AUDIT
This paper discusses the EU’s finances with particular reference
to two complaints frequently made about the European Union’s finances: that the
European Court of Auditors each year ‘refuses to sign off the accounts’; and
that the EU budget is subject to high levels of fraud.
By Jove….these are some jolly senior experts…eh wot!
Full paper here:
ICE names William Hague as incoming chairman of European unit
"Our markets will benefit from Mr. Hague's private and
public sector expertise as we seek to continue to grow by serving our customers
in new ways," Jeffrey Sprecher, chief executive officer of ICE, said in a
statement.
Iress expands in UK
Proquote, an LSE portfolio company since 2003, operates the
Retail Service Provider network that offers retail trading in the United Kingdom
In announcing the sale, the LSE says that Proquote is "not central to its strategy" for the enlarged Information Services Division.
In announcing the sale, the LSE says that Proquote is "not central to its strategy" for the enlarged Information Services Division.
Stuff:
Amazing, Aust has another PM.
That’s 5PM s
in as many years.
A tale of blood letting here:
Rugby World Cup: England
