When done correctly, implementing a trading and risk management platform can improve efficiencies, drive profit and standardise procedures across capital market businesses. However, without proper support, platform implementations can spiral out of control, costing far more than originally projected and creating complicated issues that can take years to solve. It’s important to remember a few vital points that will save you, and your team, a great deal of stress, time and money.
Don’t get caught up in fads
It’s important to choose the right platform for your bank. With the dramatic increase in fintechs bringing new, innovative technologies the current climate is one where it is vital to stay ahead of the technological game. However, there’s a new wave of investments falling flat. Either the products don’t really work the way they’re supposed to, or they don’t fit in with your current processes, or they create an unpredicted amount of work for you and your teams. One place this has been evident is in artificial intelligence and its application to capital markets. Billions have been spent over the last few years by banks looking to advance their services and stay ahead of the curve, however the profits and benefits haven’t matched up with the investment.
Fad chasing may look innovative for the first few months, but you may very well be left with bad margins before the year’s out. Confusing doesn’t mean better, there are a great deal of complex products that sound interesting but aren’t practically beneficial in the highly regulated new capital market environment. The markets and regulations are changing at a fast rate, making risky technology investments even more risky since their benefits can sometimes be regulated out of existence. It’s become difficult to balance the need to stay relevant in a changing landscape with achieving a strong ROI. With all implementations, careful consideration, proper consultation and a strong understanding of what will be involved are required. Yes you should be looking to future trends, but with a wary eye and a focus on the goal of improving efficiencies or driving growth rather than to appear innovative.
Look to the future for reliable sustainability
Will the time and money put in now ensure long-term, sustainable growth? Are you implementing a quick fix, or are you ensuring operational efficiency for the future? While it’s important to hit immediate targets and encourage short term growth with your platform implementation, this shouldn’t come at the sacrifice of future sustainability. At a time when banks are being pressed and pressured to control risks and costs, your trading platform should be able to clearly encourage long-term growth with secure, sustainable returns, rather than short term turn-around with further work required in the not too distant future.
Consider moving onto the cloud
Music, films and our love lives now all live on the cloud, so why doesn’t your trading platform? Migrating platforms onto a cloud-based architecture enables easy expansion and contraction of machine resources. Clouds can be public or private, but the same principles apply, so you are in full control of the security and structure of your cloud migration. At CPQi, our trained specialists are able to effectively and efficiently migrate your platforms onto the cloud as part of our digital transformation offering. Whether you use Murex, Finastra or Calypso, innovation is enabled at a greater speed when you use the cloud for your platform implementation. Furthermore, hardware and operational costs are cut and your bank achieves greater flexibility and a stronger, more robust framework for growth.
DevOps
With your platform on the cloud, you can use a DevOps environment to facilitate automated updates, keeping your bank at the forefront of available technology without having to regularly carry out new implementations. CPQi can apply DevOps practices when we help our clients implement new platforms or improve their current systems, ensuring long term success and a smooth workflow. We use DevOps to help you get the most use out of your current systems and the best value out of future implementations.
Aim for a holistic trading environment
Migrating features into one holistic system can greatly help manage risk and give you a strong understanding of your weak spots. Everything you might have previously had to repeat when working with several systems can be achieved in half the time when you use one system. However, if that’s simply not feasible, employ trained consultants who understand how to integrate your systems efficiently.
CPQi provides platform implementation and integration services, we work out of 8 offices spanning the Americas with a strong team of highly skilled specialists. Once a platform has been implemented, we provide support and consultation so you’re always getting the most out of your systems. We are also skilled at building required modifications, if you have several systems that require integration, all our specialists are trained in both banking and technology, so they’re able to provide intuitive solutions that work long term.
Whether you need a trading platform implemented from scratch, or your bank is ready to take things onto the cloud, CPQi is trained to help you deliver on your projects. We understand banking and technology, situating us perfectly as the right team to handle any required developments and manage your implementation. Call our offices for a free consultation with one of our skilled team members to make sure you get a sustainable, long-term solution.
