#vxinsight

One week on from The Network Forum Africa, which took place in London, we debrief on the major talking points coming out of the event. What are the investment trends, regulatory changes, and digital asset innovation across the continent?  In episode 7 of our Xchange podcast, Barnaby Nelson (CEO), Emma Johnson (Head of Industry Advocacy and Insight) and Mark Brannigan (Head of Xchange product) talk throughThe global perception: following the publication of the 3rd edition of World to Africa, what is the evolving view of Africa as an investment destination? Market changes: where are the markets focused in terms of infrastructure, market harmonsiation, and settlement cycles (including the challenges facing Nigeria’s move to T+1)A different angle on digital assets: regulators are being praised for the efforts to support developmentFuture outlook: index inclusion, market modernisation, and investor protectionKeywords: regulation, market infrastructure, tokenization, tokenisation, T+1, settlement cycles, post-trade, DLT, digital assets, The Network ForumResources & links:The World to Africa researchNetwork Forum AfricaConnect with the speakers:Emma Johnson - LinkedIn  Barnaby Nelson - LinkedIn  Mark Brannigan - LinkedIn

Recording directly from Hong Kong, after a few weeks of meetings and engagements across the region, we debrief on the major talking points coming out of those conversations. What’s the business case for T+1 in Asia, or are there other digital priorities? And what could 24/5 in the US mean for the region? In episode 6 of our Xchange podcast, Barnaby Nelson (CEO), Jean-Remi Lopez (Senior Advisor for APAC) and Mark Brannigan (Head of Xchange product) talk throughWhy T+1: strategic significance in Asian markets, does it make sense now, what’s the business case?Regulatory challenges and market practices affecting settlement cyclesMore pressing, digital priorities: how digital assets and tokenisation are addressing existing post-trade bottlenecks24/5: what could it mean for the region if implemented in the US? Keywords: tokenization, tokenisation, T+1, settlement cycles, post-trade, DLT, digital assets, 24/5, digital assets, modernisation

The European Central Bank (ECB) announcement on the acceptance of tokenised securities as eligible collateral is big! What will it change? What do you need to know, and what do you need to do?   In episode 5 of our Xchange podcast, Barnaby Nelson (CEO), Emma Johnson (Head of Industry Advocacy and Insight) and Mark Brannigan (Head of Xchange Product) talk through:What this all means, and why it is big news 52% of firms were preparing for collateral tokenisation by 2026, will this increase?The current opportunity costs of collateral vs the potential efficiency/cost saving tokenisation will bring? The key questions; a more integrated market, the roadmap forward, how risk management remains key, the viability and potential challenge to traditional finance modelFind out more about our research on the topic here: https://thevx.io/campaign/the-case-for-collateral-tokenisation/Keywords: tokenization, tokenisation, collateral, ECB, European Commission, securities, DLT, market integration, risk management, financial technology, digital assets

Is 2026 the year that the industry improves asset servicing operations? Or, being right in the middle of movie award season, are we still going through Groundhog Day?  Episode 4 of our Xchange podcast with Barnaby Nelson (CEO), Martin Lawrence (Chief Customer Officer) and Mark Brannigan (Head of Xchange Product) talks through:Some key happenings: 24 by 5 trading and 23 by 5 clearing, T+1 progressMain discussion - asset servicing: has the problem statement for asset servicing changed in the past 10 years? How does the industry move the dial, to improve and reduce cost across the industry? Looking forward: US Treasury Central Clearing not getting the attention it shouldKeywords: asset servicing, AI, corporate actions, financial technology, institutional finance, risk management, regulatory framework, blockchain, innovation

Money is a technology that humans invented to help us navigate an increasingly complex world. This episode explores stablecoins as another significant step in financial technology, their importance, the risks and challenges, and the institutional perspective on their adoption. Episode 3 of our Xchange podcast with Barnaby Nelson (CEO), Emma Johnson (Head of Industry Advocacy and Insight) and Mark Brannigan (Head of Xchange product) talks through:Some key happenings: AccessFintech and Blackrock, the innovation exemptionMain discussion: the institutional view on stablecoins; risks, recognition on the balance sheet, clarity, adoption, challenges, interplay with CBDCs, growth due to need for 24/7 cash Looking forward: 2026 as the year of execution (USTC, T+1, 23/5 clearing, 24/5 trading)Keywords: money, stablecoins, CBDC, digital assets, financial technology, institutional finance, risk management, regulatory framework, blockchain, innovation

Does the administrative coordination of Pheasants Island offer a glimpse of European progress and cooperation? Maybe not, but in this episode we talk about all things Europe and provide a wide ranging overview of the main post-trade stories in the region. Episode 2 of our new Xchange podcast with Barnaby Nelson (CEO), Emma Johnson (Head of Industry Advocacy and Insight) and Mark Brannigan (Head of Xchange product) talks about:Feedback from the November ECSDA conference - looking forward, not backwardUpdates on digital innovation and readiness - how the region stands moving forwardRegulation update: what to know, what's coming

13.1 billion dollars was the expected total spend for Halloween in 2025 in the US. How does the horror of halloween align with the potential fear of T+1 and funding? Episode 1 of our new Xchange podcast with Barnaby Nelson (CEO), Emma Johnson (Head of Industry Advocacy and Insight) and Mark Brannigan (Head of Xchange product) chat about:Some key happenings: America moving at lightspeed, ESMA's draft regulatory technical standards on settlement efficiency:Main discussion: understanding T+1 and the funding risksLooking forward: tokenised collateral

Our latest World to Africa 2025 podcast unpacks the forces driving record allocations into the continent, featuring Standard Bank, BNY, and The ValueExchange. 🎙️ In this episode:  ✅ $3.7B of new flows from underweight investors  ✅ 40% portfolio growth projected by 2027  ✅ 75% AUM growth from asset managers  ✅ Private markets and digital infrastructure leading the way 

Our Path to 2030 podcast series with FIS® brings together experts from APAC, North America, and Europe to unpack how firms are preparing their operations for the decade ahead. What you’ll hear:  🔶 APAC: Jean-Remi Lopez and Jon Hodges  - 61% of back offices need urgent change while innovation spend surges🔶 North America: Barnaby Nelson and Matthew Stauffer  - $155m annual budgets colliding with legacy tech and extended hours🔶 Europe: Martin Lawrence and Mack Gill  - Half of firms still anchored in legacy, T+1 demanding real-time automation 

Our Path to 2030 podcast series with FIS® brings together experts from APAC, North America, and Europe to unpack how firms are preparing their operations for the decade ahead. What you’ll hear:  🔶 APAC: Jean-Remi Lopez and Jon Hodges  - 61% of back offices need urgent change while innovation spend surges🔶 North America: Barnaby Nelson and Matthew Stauffer  - $155m annual budgets colliding with legacy tech and extended hours🔶 Europe: Martin Lawrence and Mack Gill  - Half of firms still anchored in legacy, T+1 demanding real-time automation 

Our Path to 2030 podcast series with @FIS® brings together experts from APAC, North America, and Europe to unpack how firms are preparing their operations for the decade ahead. What you’ll hear:   🔶 APAC: Jean-Remi Lopez and Jon Hodges  - 61% of back offices need urgent change while innovation spend surges 🔶 North America: Barnaby Nelson and Matthew Stauffer  - $155m annual budgets colliding with legacy tech and extended hours 🔶 Europe: Martin Lawrence and Mack Gill  - Half of firms still anchored in legacy, T+1 demanding real-time automation 

In our new podcast with Horacio and Paul from Broadridge, we look at how DLR is transforming repo and collateral:  ✅ USD 6 tn in tokenised repo in July 2025  ✅ Volumes doubled in 12 months  ✅ Intraday repo delivering liquidity and capital relief  ✅ Digital cash and stablecoins making atomic settlement real Firms are moving from pilot to production. This is where efficiency meets real-world adoption. 

What is the case for asset servicing automation in 2024 and where are firms focusing today in reducing cost and risk across corporate actions and proxy voting? Drawing on the latest statistical insights from our “Asset Servicing Automation 2024” industry research campaign (led by Broadridge, DTCC and ISSA), William Hodash (of ISSA) and Pradeep Raos (of ISSA) discuss today’s challenges, ambitions and change journeys in the specific context of spiralling volume and cost growth in 2024.

What is the case for asset servicing automation in 2024 and where are firms focusing today in reducing cost and risk across corporate actions and proxy voting? Drawing on the latest statistical insights from our “Asset Servicing Automation 2024” industry research campaign (led by Broadridge, DTCC and ISSA), John Kirkpatrick (of Broadridge), Scott Grant (of Broadridge) and Patrick Barthel (of DTCC) discuss today’s challenges, ambitions and change journeys in the specific context of spiralling volume and cost growth in 2024.

Why, where and how should global investors be planning their African investment strategies in 2024? In this first episode of our World to Africa series (in partnership with Standard Bank), Stephen Barnes and Hari Chaitanya walk through the major areas of opportunity in Africa today and look at what market structure changes foreign investors need to be tracking.

In this latest episode of our DLT in the Real World Series (run in partnership with ISSA), James Fok explains how the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s CMU has delivered efficiencies of over 1,000 hours per bond issuance, through its Evergreen and Genesys initiatives.  

As one of the most mature DLT-based platforms in the capital markets, Clearstream’s D7 is now reaching a point of critical scale with over 1000 new issuances every month. In this latest episode of the DLT in the Real World podcast series (run with ISSA), Jens Hachmeister and Thilo Derenbach walk through the latest outlook on the D7 journey – and explain why “Just because something works on a small boat doesn’t mean it will work on a container ship".

In this latest episode of our DLT in the Real World series, Vishal Gupta from NSDL explains how DLT is transforming the issuance and management of debentures in India - with adoption rates of over 70%.

In this episode, part of our latest series of ‘DLT in The Real World’, run in partnership with ISSA, we discuss how DLT creates unique opportunities to the African market.

The voluntary carbon markets face a unique challenge: they have to do in decades what other financial markets have done in 125 years in terms of maturity. And we can’t afford to fail. In this deep dive discussion, Roland Chai at Nasdaq explains the key challenges and opportunities for the world’s carbon markets – underlining a clear path to scalable market growth.

In this fascinating episode Horacio Barakat and Paul Chiappetta join Barnaby Nelson to discuss how DLR is already delivering on "phase 2" treasury benefits - well beyond the operational savings that were first envisaged. As one of the most mature uses of DLT in our markets, this is great evidence of the continuing and evolving benefits of the technology.

How important is shareholder governance? What needs to be done to fix the current issues on shareholder governance?With expert insights from Bill Hodash (ISSA), George Harris (FIS), Michael Kemper (Proximity) and Vicky Dean (Goal), we explore the current challenges in shareholder governance impacting today’s ESG and the solutions for a brighter future.

What is the case behind tokenisation in securities finance? Against a backdrop of highly disparate and manual processes, DLT and tokenisation is emerging as a leading solution to the issues of reconciliations, delivery issues and balance sheet challenges. In this #vxInsight episode, Kelly Mathieson (of Digital Asset) an Ken DeGiglio (Equilend) discuss the opportunities and deployment journey of DLT in repos and securities lending

How and where are asset owners driving transformation in their investment operations in 2023? Leveraging insights from our second global "Asset Owner Transformation" survey, Marian Azer (Milestone Group), Niki Zaphiratos (RBC) and Dhanya Dhiraj (Citisoft) discuss the key findings and themes from our research with Barnaby Nelson (The ValueExchange).

How are governance and investor changes putting pressures on our proxy voting processes in Australia? And how able are we to react?Following our market-wide survey led by Proxymity, Computershare, AIRA and ACSA, this episode digs into the details of exactly how issuers, custodians and investors are making the case for major transformation in their proxy voting. With expert insights from Dean Little (Proxymity), Scott Hudson (Computershare) and Ian Matheson (AIRA), we explore the common challenges, the motivations for change and the areas that most need our attention as we look to grow our engagement and voting volumes in the near future.

How is DLT being used to address key inefficiencies in bond and fund issuance?After years of careful evaluation, MarketNode is beginning to address key inefficiencies in the way that we issue, trade and hold bonds - with funds to come.In this fascinating episode of our "DLT in the Real World" podcast (run in cooperation with ISSA), Rehan Ahmed explains the step-by-step process that MarketNode has taken in bringing efficiencies to a USD750billion bond market in Asia-Pacific.

How is Clearstream's D7 platform transforming product issuance today - and moving us closer to "T+1 hour" issuance?In this fascinating discussion with Jens Hachmeister, we walk through the practicalities of designing, building and launching D7 - from the first thoughts through to live issuances today.  We look at what impact digitisation can have on the end to end product lifecycle in real terms - and we also dig into the role (and limits) of DLT in the final platform.

How, where and why are we using DLT in the capital markets today?As part of our 3rd annual "DLT in the Real World" industry-wide survey, this discussion digs into the practicalities of digital assets in 2022 - leveraging the experience of Urs Sauer (SIX), Glen Fernandes (Euroclear) and Colin Parry (ISSA).This discussion draws extensively on the Key Findings summary from our 2022 survey (available here).

How is DLT making an impact traditional, regulated stock exchanges and what are we learning about how this technology can change the whole ecosystemIn this episode of our DLT in the Real World series (run in partnership with ISSA), Kitti Sutthiatthasil (of the Stock Exchange of Thailand) explains how SET's several round of DLT pilots and deployments is changing the capital markets ecosystem. From movie-financing to disintermediation, the SET's journey is packed with valuable learning experiences for any FMI looking at driving meaningful market change - with plenty still to come.

With volumes reaching historical peaks and people challenges at their most acute, how can all profiles of market practitioners drive scale in their asset servicing?Following the release of our "Reimagining Corporate Actions" global research key findings, this discussion brings together Madhukar Ramu (of S&P Global Market Intelligence), Dan Thieke and Stephen Ridley (both representing ISSA) to dig into the key factors at play in shaping the right operating model for your back office today. Download the Key Findings here - or reach out to us at [email protected] if you'd like to talk through these data insights in more detail.

How is DLT making an impact on how we manage and exchange collateral every day?In this episode of our DLT in the Real World series (run in partnership with ISSA), Nick Short (of HQLAx) and Fabrice Tomenko (Deutsche Boerse) explain how the HQLAx is transforming the way that we see and manage collateral every day - delivering new efficiencies and laying the foundations for market-wide transformation.

How are asset owners turning countless internal and external drivers into an operational change agenda today?Accompanying the release of our industry-wide research paper (available here), this episode is the last in a mini-series of expert discussions that looks into the change journey that asset owners are charting today.  With Geoff Hodge (Milestone Group), Ryan Silva (RBC), Christine Knott (Citisoft) and Mark Kerns (Adapa Advisory) we explore exactly how asset owners are "professionalising their infrastructures" today - digging into the challenges of problem definition, the role of project governance, the importance of "having a plan" and the critical enabler that is stakeholder engagement.

How are asset owners shaping their transformation agendas today - in light of huge external pressures to change?Accompanying the release of our industry-wide research paper (available here), this episode is the third in a mini-series of expert discussions that looks into the change journey that asset owners are charting today.  With Marian Azer and Randy McGathey (Milestone Group), Ryan Silva (RBC) and Christine Knott (Citisoft) we explore the roles of operational agility, enterprise-wide planning and 'the war for talent' in shaping today's asset owner transformation journey.

How are different external pressures driving change amongst the world's asset owners - and what hidden impacts are different regulatory models having globally today?Accompanying the release of our industry-wide research paper (available here), this episode is the second in a mini-series of expert discussions that looks into the change journey that asset owners are charting today.  With Randy McGathey (Milestone Group), Ryan Silva (RBC), and Christine Knott (Citisoft) we explore the existential questions that asset owners and pension managers are being asked today - from investment returns to ESG and risk management.

How are asset owners transforming their operating models today and what is driving that change?Accompanying the release of our industry-wide research paper (available here), this episode is the first in a mini-series of expert discussions that looks into the change journey that asset owners are charting today.  With Marian Azer (Milestone Group), Ryan Silva (RBC), Christine Knott and Dave Higgins (Citisoft) we explore the journey beyond spreadsheets - when is enough enough for asset owners and what are the risks in moving away from tried-and-tested macros.

LegacyTech stands on the critical path to every major area of transformation in the capital markets. From digital assets to ESG; from T+1 to CSDR, a firm's ability to manage its legacy technology agenda is a direct driver to both growth and survival.In this #vxInsight episode, we're excited to be discussing the Key Findings from our 'Transforming LegacyTech' research campaign with Richard Wilson (from IHSMarkit) and Tracy Moors (from Digital Asset). You can download these key findings at https://thevx.io/campaign/transforming-legacy-tech/ or contact us at [email protected] if you'd like to talk through these findings further.

In this, second episode of our DLT in the Real World series (run in partnership with ISSA), Mathias Studach explains how the SDX is expanding the boundaries of what is possible in the complicated world of regulated securities markets - from bond issuance to CBDC experiments.

How is DLT changing the way that we work today? Welcome to the first episode in our latest series of "DLT in the Real World" - run in partnership with ISSA, with the aim of helping you to make sense of exactly where, why and how DLT is making a difference to the way we work today.In this first episode, Jennifer Peve joins us from the DTCC - to explain how their DSM project is transforming the way that the private markets function and how it puts private and listed markets on a path of convergence.

Australian corporate actions are complicated and, like many markets around the world, in need of more automation. In the context of our ongoing "Australian Corporate Actions in A Global Context" survey, it's fascinating to be able to dig deep into the topic with Tim Hogben and Jamie Crank from the ASX. Their expert insights and experience give huge optimism about the pace of change in this space - with a clear change path for each of us.

How our the hidden costs of FX distorting our investment performance today? Do we really know? What can we be doing to improve our visibility of this key space?This was a fascinating conversation - chaired by Colin Lambert of the FullFX and including insights from our core project partners at National Australia Bank, Lumint, New Change FX and HD Financial Consulting. If you want to know how mastering FX can drive your own fund performance then make sure you listen - and download the results of our research at https://thevx.io/campaign/grey-costs-of-fx/

A year is a long time in DLT - so what have we learned about deploying DLT in our world in 2021? 12-months on from our initial "DLT in the Real World" survey with ISSA, we gather the same specialists (Colin Parry of ISSA; Urs Sauer of SIX; and Glen Fernandes of Euroclear) to discuss the practicalities of DLT usage today.

With 56% of our costs of a corporate action made up by data sourcing alone, what can be done to reduce the cost and risks that we carry every day.In this #vxInsight episode, George Harris (FIS), John Lee (Accenture), Patrick Barthel (DTCC), Alan Chuen (HKEX) and Steve Ridley (representing ISSA) share their reactions to our latest "Corporate Actions 2021" research (available in powerpoint at thevalueexchange.co/corporateactions2021).

In September 2020, HSBC,  SGX and Temasek announced that they had completed a pilot digital bond issuance and distribution – replicating an SGD400m issuance for Olam International. Given the names involved, this was a powerful and extremely high profile example of DLT’s transformational power.  In this episode, Rajeev Tummala from HSBC talks us through the facts and figures of this huge step.

In 2018, Broadridge launched a new platform to simplify repo trading - leveraging the benefits of blockchain and smart contracts to overall collateral flows in a highly complex market.In this episode, Horacio Barakat gives us the facts and figures behind this transformative project.

If real estate investments were all about paper, Consensys' project to distribute $350 million of tokenised real estate assets for Mata Capital showed they no longer have to be.Listen to Matthieu Bouchaud (of Consensys) as he explains the real-life impact of a blockchain-based solution at every step of the investment lifecycle: from investor onboarding, to managing the transaction and then keeping the registry.

How can DLT help to make a 96% reduction in processing times for derivatives clearing - and help to move towards same-day clearing?In this episode, Nigel Lam (of Stacs.io) walks us through the facts and numbers behind their latest deployment at Eastspring investments in Singapore - showing exactly what an impact this technology can have.

Our 2020 industry wide survey highlighted the need and desire for change across the entire corporate action lifecycle. But, with the highest levels of errors and payouts of any region in the world, what does that mean for Asia-Pacific?Join Barnaby Nelson as he discusses corporate action automation with the real Asia experts: Mike Thrower (from Broadridge); Maria Leung (HKEX); and Gary O'Brien (BNP Paribas).

How is the asset servicing industry reacting to the perfect storm of regulation, risk and market pressures in 2020? Following our industry-wide "Asset Servicing Innovation" survey (run in cooperation with Broadridge, ISSA, ASIFMA, The Network Forum and Global Custodian), this podcast delves into the Key Findings from our research and explains what they mean for you. With the expert insights of Mike Thrower (Broadridge) and Colin Parry (ISSA), we talk through how we can define the problem, where people are turning to fix it and what steps we can all be taking to achieve meaningful change - in an area that is costing us millions of dollars in losses every year.Go to thevalueexchange.co/assetservicinginnovation if you'd like to download the Key Findings.

How can visibility on your costs per trade drive competitive advantage? In an era of unprecedented cost control, risk management pressures and regulatory drivers, it has never been more important to have clear visibility on your costs per trade. What did your last trade really cost you? What cost elements do you risk overlooking? What are the downstream consequences of those oversights? What steps can we take to improve?In this episode, Brian Collings (Torstone), Allan Song (Standard Chartered) and James Smith (Mizuho) share their own personal experiences of driving cost per trade transparency in their own firms - giving actionable, usable insights for us all to leverage.If you’d like to understand how you can turn your costs per trade into a competitive advantage then visit https://www.thevalueexchange.co/greycostspertrade to download the full report.