14 May 2013Thomson Reuters

Our new white paper tells you how –and where – to find it.

The global financial community faces challenges on every front. Pressure on profits has never been greater, traditional revenue sources are declining, and the rules of doing business are in a constant state of flux. The marketplace has become more fragmented, complex and competitive, and regulations are growing exponentially everywhere you do business. In addition to these market challenges, a convergence of change in technology – including the forces of mobile, social, cloud, and Big Data – is driving transformation in how market participants access and share information, the speed at which it is delivered, and the importance of open and connected systems.

As markets have finally begun to climb the “wall of worry”, having a window on what’s next is a critical competitive advantage, and the global financial community is looking to move. Forward. Firms seek more than they’ve ever had, to meet demands that are greater than they’ve ever been. Because change is money.

Read more.

29 Mar 2013Thomson Reuters

While yesterday’s criminals relied on guns, knives and threats of physical harm, tomorrow’s criminals are likely to be more effective in spreading fear or stealing millions by simply sitting behind a laptop or using their mobile or a tablet device. In Technology Fuels New Advances and Challenges in Predictive Policing we explore the growth and acceptance of predictive policing methodology and the use of technology in forecasting and investigating crime.

The white paper reports on how law enforcement agencies are adding high-tech teams and investing in a range of new technologies, from sophisticated mapping that can help police forecast hotspots of criminal activity, to software platforms that delve deep into the public records of a person of interest, to powerful computing systems that allow police to sift through mountains of video data. (more…)

15 Mar 2013Thomson Reuters

High profile events such as those that took place in 2008 – and more recent ones such as those experienced by JP Morgan and UBS – reminded the industry of the challenges involved when an aggregate or consolidated view across positions is needed. Even after decades of industry changes and technology advances such challenges still subsist due in part to the incompatibility of core data symbols.

These core data symbols: security identification, counterparty identification and price discovery, were never developed to work efficiently and effectively on an enterprise/global scale. This was not a huge problem back in 1993 but with regulatory pressure and the focus on risk management firms today need the ability to assess risk. They need a view of their aggregate and consolidated positions across the enterprise – regardless of silos, departments and disparate technology systems. (more…)

11 Feb 2013Thomson Reuters

Two primary methods have been used to introduce carbon prices, cap-and-trade markets and carbon taxes. While these approaches have some important differences, the challenges regulators face when designing carbon pricing schemes are remarkably similar. Our new white paper by Thomson Reuters Commodities and Energy Advisory practice consultant Robert Kaineg discusses key design decisions facing governments instituting a carbon tax. (more…)

28 Jan 2013Thomson Reuters

The regulatory landscape is changing. Basel III in particular will have a significant impact on all aspects of the banking sector. We are already seeing significant increases in both the quality and quantity of capital that is required to be set against the wider risks of running a business but the wider regulatory policies also seek to improve the underlying risk-management capabilities of banks, whether looking at Legal, Operational, Market, Regulatory or Credit Risks.

While supervisors everywhere are increasingly sensitive to the balance which has to be achieved between cost pressures and ensuring that banks take operational risk seriously, there is a major focus on avoiding the risk of “black swan” or “fat tail” events which could further jeopardize financial stability. Compliance and risk management are no longer simply a question of aligning with best practice through a team located somewhere in the institution. Risk appetite should be established and set at Board level, taking into account shareholder and regulators expectations. The concept of “enterprise risk management” is now well established.

This paper highlights some less considered elements of operational risk and demonstrates how a different approach can lead to real benefits to the business.

Download the free white paper here. (more…)

10 Dec 2012Thomson Reuters

January 1, 2013 brings its own form of D-Day for the investment funds industry: Data Day. For it is on this date that International Financial Reporting Standards 13 Fair Value Measurement (IFRS 13) becomes effective.

The aim of IFRS 13 is to introduce a consistent global definition of fair value, along with enhanced disclosures for how fair value is measured. The rule is almost identical to the U.S. version FAS 157, resulting in a consistent set of accounting standards that determine how reporting entities around the world measure and disclose fair value of their assets and liabilities. (more…)

25 Sep 2012Katharine Ramsden

Since the financial crisis of 2008/09, increasing concerns about the weakened US economy have caused the Chinese government to prioritise Renminbi (RMB) internationalisation as a key step in its economic reform. In June 2012, China’s State Council declared that the country will speed up the opening of its financial market, including allowing qualified foreign institutions to invest in China with the yuan, and expanding the use of the yuan in overseas markets, such as cross-border settlement and as an international reserve currency.

At the City of London RMB initiative launch event in April this year, UK Chancellor Osborne stated that it is “the ambition of the British Government to make London a Western hub” for offshore RMB trading. London’s status as the next major RMB offshore centre seems logical – London is well positioned with its existing infrastructure, banking community and regulatory framework. However, there are still challenges to be addressed if London is to achieve this aspiration. (more…)

01 Aug 2012Thomson Reuters

A primary aim of the global Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) initiative is to provide market participants with the ability to use a common set of reference data to easily identify legal entities and their associated inter-connections (parent, subsidiary and affiliate) – across multiple platforms/repositories (trading, data, compliance). Equally by using LEIs market participants will be able to map those entities back to their associated securities/debt issues thus allowing market players to be able to efficiently correlate their risk exposure to a counterparty at any given moment in time.

In light of this complex market challenge, we have published a detailed white paper titled “Legal Entity Data: Mapping The Corporate Genome” which provides the reader with:

• An overview of where the LEI initiative now stands and its associated background
• A comprehensive understanding of what the operational and systems impact of using Legal Entity Data will be
• An outline of what additional beneficial outcomes market participants can expect from using Legal Entity Data
• A better understanding of Thomson Reuters perspective with regard to the LEI initiative and the need for Legal Entity Data

Click here to download your copy of this innovative whitepaper now.

19 Jul 2012Lauren Denowitz

Global trends indicate that more and more countries are moving away from Business Tax (BT) towards Value Added Tax (VAT) as a more reliable means of raising revenue. A proposed mandate by the Chinese Government will see most of China move to a VAT system very quickly. The original pilot in Shanghai was a success, and Beijing should be the next city to employ the VAT system this year.

In conjunction with professional services organization Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, we have produced a whitepaper that examines the critical move to Value Added Tax in China. (more…)

The Fraud Prevention & Investigation unit of Thomson Reuters has released a white paper that explores the growing presence of organized crime groups in healthcare fraud.

27 Jun 2012Thomson Reuters

The paper offers an overview of the growing problem of healthcare fraud in the United States, the cost of which is estimated by Thomson Reuters to be $150 billion annually, and the disturbing trend of organized crime groups and gangs in perpetuating complex schemes to defraud Medicare and Medicaid.

The free, in-depth white paper, titled “From Drugs to Wheelchairs: New Technology Fights the Growing Menace of Organized Crime in Healthcare Fraud,” offers details about the fight against fraud being mounted by government agencies and federal, state and local law enforcement. It details their use of sophisticated technology such as data mining and predictive analysis using search tools like CLEAR for Healthcare Fraud Investigations to stop organized crime groups.

“Organized crime groups and gangs are turning from drugs to healthcare fraud, and taking with them billions of taxpayer dollars from the healthcare system. They’re lured by the vast amount of money flowing through Medicare and Medicaid, and the relatively low risk of violence,” said Steve Rubley, managing director, Government, Thomson Reuters. “This white paper sheds light on the fight our government is waging against this fraud, and the state-of-the-art technologies that are assisting investigators in this fight.”

To request a free copy of the white paper, please send an email to clear[at]thomsonreuters.com.