Assurance for Delivery

Autorenname: fiserconsulting

An Assessment of Digital Euro

Central Banks are assessing the possibility to release National Digital Currencies that could potentially substitute cash. This idea will allow Central Banks to have absolute control of all the money supplies. On top of that, they will compete with Commercial Banks for deposit accounts. An important technology that can contribute to this development is Blockchain. The distributed ledger technology makes it possible for anyone to open a deposit account directly at the Central Bank. This feature alone will remove direct intermediation as it also opens the possibility to create a full reserve banking system. However, there is a catch. The theoretical benefit of a full reserve banking system does not consider the natural hierarchy of money. If a Central Bank controls a fixed amount of money in the economy than additional “cash” products will be developed, which will lead to an expansion of the overall quantity of money. A Digital National Currency can also prevent financial crime and support the overall monetary policies but it also represents a threat in consumers privacy finances. Currently the European Central Bank, the Bank of England and Sweden Central Bank are assessing the possibility of adopting a digital currency as an alternative form of payment. Essential characteristics are yet to be defined. In line with the above, FiSer has written a paper that provides recommendations for the adoption of Digital Euro where we discuss desirable characteristics, the implementation approach and adoption challenges.

An Assessment of Digital Euro Weiterlesen »

Senne Achterberg as FiSer Consultings New Consultant, Welcome to the Team

We have added a new member to the FiSer team Senne Achterberg. Senne is a consultant with extensive experience in Change Management, Lean Management and Organisational Development. His strong communication and interpersonal skills enable him to quickly connect the dots and they also help him to communicate with people at all levels across an organisation. He delivers what is needed and when it is needed. Senne is a team player who knows when to lead and when to follow. Complex situations and challenges motivate him and resolves issues with a can-do mentality, a positive attitude and with a desire to continuously develop. Before joining FiSer Consulting, Senne has build up extensive knowledge as a Change Manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). During his time at RBS he integrated business departments, enabled design and implementation of the Target Operating Model and he was part of a global strategical program within Global Transaction Services (GTS). Senne has obtained a Master of Arts in History at Leiden University. Apart from his Master’s Degree, he has completed several courses including LEAN Management, AGILE Foundation and a MBA module at Nyenrode University.

Senne Achterberg as FiSer Consultings New Consultant, Welcome to the Team Weiterlesen »

AML Management: Challenges and Opportunities

The U.S. government has fined Rabobank National Association, a California-based subsidiary of Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. (Rabobank) with EUR 298 million after admitting deficiencies with the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance program. Money Laundering is a threat to the long-term sustainability of businesses. In the eyes of the regulators, AML is critical because it compromises a company’s image and reputation. From 2010 to 2017, 21 of the most significant banks in Europe had to pay a fine of approximately EUR 4,198 million for violating AML compliance rules. In the Positioning Paper ‘AML Management: Challenges and Opportunities’ we analyse the operational issues that cause such high fines and we also take the time to discuss the current challenges that Financial Institutions are facing. Finally, the Paper explains how innovative technologies are supporting the Compliance function and how FiSer Consulting can help in the transformation process.

AML Management: Challenges and Opportunities Weiterlesen »

FiSer Consulting Event: Implementing Innovation

On Thursday February 8th, FiSer Consulting organised the Innovation event. The event gathered professionals from the finance and banking industry including consultants, Fintech accelerators and large financial institutions. The topics that were discussed included best practices for implementing Artificial Intelligence, dealing with PSD2 challenges and initiatives to evolve to a more digital corporate culture. All speakers agreed that transformation practices in financial services are inevitable and that, in order to achieve success in innovation, businesses must be willing to transform their technological operations.

FiSer Consulting Event: Implementing Innovation Weiterlesen »

The Basel Committee releases Basel IV Regulatory Reforms

  On 7 December 2017, the Basel Committee of Banking Supervisors (BCBS) issued the last elements of the Basel III (also referred to as Basel IV) guidelines on bank capital reforms. The revision aims to restore credibility in the calculation of risk-weighted assets (RWAs) and to improve the comparability of capital ratios. As stated before by the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), the reforms include revisions for the following elements: • Standardised approach for credit risk• Internal ratings-based approach for credit risk• Credit valuation adjustment (CVA) framework• Standardised approach for operational risk• Leverage ratio and a leverage ratio buffer for global and systemically important banks (G-SIBs)• Aggregate output floor, which will ensure that banks’ risk-weighted assets (RWAs) generated by internal models are no lower than 72.5% of RWAs as calculated by the Basel III framework’s standardised approaches. The European Banking Authority (EBA) forecasted that the output floor of 72.5% will increase to an average 12.9 percent of capital for EU banks and a 15.2 percent for the 12 largest banks, taking 2015 balance sheet as an example. The output floor will serve as a safety net to Financial Institutions that are currently using internal risk-based models to calculate capital buffers. European banks however, tend to hold more long-term assets on their balance sheets. In 2010 BCBS gave Basel III a seven year implementation period. For the upcoming guidelines, BCBS delayed the implementation from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, the Group of Central Bank Governors and Heads of Supervision (GHOS) has extended the implementation date of the revised minimum capital requirements for market risk, which were originally set to be implemented in 2019. Now the date has been changed to January 1st 2022. As a niche consultancy firm, FiSer Consulting finds it important to define strategies that equip Financial Institutions with the capabilities to solve regulatory issues but also to maximise value in the implementation process with the help of: 1. Identifying key touchpoints where BCBS’ final papers (Basel IV) will create a significant impact.2. Create a “Product life cycle analysis”. This analysis aims to provide a holistic view of the impacts across the four stages and processes of a financial product (for example a Retail Loan).3. Conduct an assessment within the organisation using our “Basel IV readiness questionnaire”. This questionnaire will determine whether there are significant gaps between current Basel program versus the new requirements.4. Determine a strategy and roadmap for implementationWhen utilising these tools, we can make sure that an organisation achieves a smooth and complete Basel implementation. At FiSer Consulting we are keen to understand your organisation and to bring the correct tools to implement any regulation. If you are interested in discussing the possibilities, please contact us at info@fiser.consulting. Information in this article was deducted from the official page of the BIS and the Financial Times (dated 08/12/17).

The Basel Committee releases Basel IV Regulatory Reforms Weiterlesen »

Fraud Reporting Under PSD2

The implementation of PSD2 will enable Third Party Payment Providers in executing payments on behalf of their customers, thus heightening the risk of fraudulent transactions. This is the main reason why the European Banking Authority (EBA) has developed Guidelines in cooperation with the European Central Bank (ECB) to ensure implementation of high-level fraud reporting requirements under Article 96(6) of the regulative law PSD2. The fraud reporting component under PSD2 expects Payment Service Providers to provide high-level data on a quarterly basis and more detailed data on a yearly basis. In the Positioning Paper ‘Fraud reporting under PSD2’ we outline the data requirements per Payment Service under the fraud reporting component as well as data management principles and how FiSer can help in the transformation process.

Fraud Reporting Under PSD2 Weiterlesen »

EBA Sets Due Date for PSD2 Implementation and Security Measures Standards

PSD2 will become effective as of January 13th 2018, which does not apply to the security measures as outlined in the RTS. The use of the measures will become mandatory 18 months after publication of the RTS in the Official Journal of the European Union, which is scheduled for September 2019. The RTS has made strong customer authentication the foundation for accessing customer payment accounts and for making online payments. These characteristics will enhance consumer protection and increase the flow of online payment across the European Union. The official press release on the final RTS can be found here.

EBA Sets Due Date for PSD2 Implementation and Security Measures Standards Weiterlesen »

Open Banking: Impact, Challenges and Strategies in Financial Services

Open Banking is emerging across worldwide global banking. The concept makes use of open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that enable third party developers to build applications and services. The concept sets a framework for security and consumer protection as data sharing increases. In our latest paper ‘Open Banking: Impact, Challenges and Strategies in Financial Services’, we discuss topics related to Open Banking, such as impact and strategies in Financial Services.

Open Banking: Impact, Challenges and Strategies in Financial Services Weiterlesen »

New RTS on Home Host Cooperation Under PSD2

On 27 October 2017, The European Banking Authority (EBA) launched a public consultation on draft regulatory technical standards (RTS) specifying the framework for cooperation and the exchange of information between competent authorities under the revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2). The RTS also clarify the type of information as well as the templates to be used by payment institutions when reporting to the competent authorities of the host Member States on the payment business activities carried out in their territories. The consultation runs until 5 January 2018. For the complete news item, please click here.

New RTS on Home Host Cooperation Under PSD2 Weiterlesen »

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