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As financial institutions have become more complex, so have their risk management systems – and that’s a problem.

Organisations that have grown through acquisition and diversification typically find themselves running a huge number of different systems: whether for different asset classes, different types of risk and/or for different operating entities.

That complexity is causing major issues. Research carried out by the Professional Risk Managers International Association (PRMIA) in March 2013 re

Regardless of the drama and conjecture within the debates there is one certainty already evident – local supervisors are carrying out spot checks on Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs), to ensure that their risk management policies and practices are comprehensive, documented and are being complied in practice. 

Can you Benefit from a Supervisory Spot Check? Download whitepaper to find out. 

It is common for departments or individuals to maintain a repository in isolation, feeling

Risk Leadership: Risk - What It All Boils Down To

Earlier this year I read Administrative Behaviour by Herbert A. Simon which was first published in 1946.  I highly recommend Simon’s book for risk professionals because it only mentions risk a few times, yet it describes so clearly the challenges of organisational success. 

When you consider the challenges Simon sets out, it helps clarify how risk professionals should aim to assist organisations through the application of risk management principle

Will peer-to-peer lending change the personal loans market beyond recognition? Or will increasing regulation and overheads erode its differentiators? Traditional savings products are not attractive at the moment, with typical interest rates for one-year cash ISAs at less than 2%. At the same time, peer-to-peer lenders such as RateSetter and Zopa suggest their lenders can receive long-term returns of 4% or higher. So it is no surprise that the UK peer-to-peer lending market is growing exponential

Two important events happened in November 2013. First, the Fed released its latest stress test definitions, to be used as the basis of the Comprehensive Capital and Analysis Review (CCAR) report, due in March 2014. Second, Thor returned to cinema screens in the action sequel, ‘The Dark World.’ So, why are these two things collectively important?

While seemingly unrelated, Thor is actually a remarkable and timely metaphor for modern regulatory practice: protect the system first, the system’s parti

With Halloween behind us, the calendar turns to the most critical part of the year for Enterprise Risk Managers in the retail industry. An operational risk failure at this time of year can result in millions of dollars in losses, and it’s as important as ever to manage the reputational, strategic, and supply chain risk that will make or break a holiday season.

With that in mind, our friends at the Risk Management Monitor recently visited an Allianz survey of British retailers, which offers a few

How do you get the balance right between customer service and security? The battle between banks and fraudsters is ongoing, with banks losing millions each year through fraud.

In addition, the rise of digital and mobile banking over the past few years has led to banks investing heavily in their fraud and security measures. These authentication devices alongside integrated malware detection and fraud monitoring systems can be a barrier to a satisfying, simple customer experience. How do banks prot

On October 30, 2013 the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published a bulletin to the CEOs and CROs of all national banks stressing the need for an enterprise risk management approach to vendor management. In the bulletin, entitled, OCC: Third-Party Relationships: Risk Management Guidance, the office recognizes, “integrating the bank’s third-party risk management process with its enterprise risk management framework enables continuous oversight and accountability.”

How does the OCC

In today’s organizations, risk managers are tasked with the responsibility of effectively monitoring risk.  They need to know what to monitor and how to determine if mitigation activities are effectively preventing risks from materializing. Traditionally, organizations evaluate risk monitoring activities through controls testing, but this provides little more than a false sense of security for organizations.

A major weakness in just using Testing to monitor risk mitigation activities, is that tes

Risk Leadership: Beyond Resilience

I have long described the aim of Enterprise Risk Management to be to develop an Adaptive and Resilient organisation (check out my RMP Healthcheck).  In recent times the concept of Organisational Resilience has become popular, in particular for those in government and the owners and operators of critical infrastructure.  Both concepts, in my opinion, have similar aims, drivers, benefits and barriers and are about nurturing a successful organisation for decades a

We spent a few minutes chatting with Erik Gordon, Chief Technology Officer at Trillium Trading, and John Superson, Co-Founder of Sumo Capital.

Download the transcript of the interview here.

Key topics of discussion included:

• Insights on Trillium and Sumo’s trading strategies
• The 3 biggest challenges facing the industry right now
• Speed limit regulations
• The top 3 influencers in US trading; and
• What advice Erik and John have for someone looking to get into trading
  
  

Download the document here to find out wh

With the growing adoption of smart phones, iPads and video-enabled devices, banks now have the ability to implement new channels, including video, for connecting with their customers. And, with the desire to create powerful emotional connections with the customer, video may just replace the telephone.

Telephony service remains a vital way for customers to connect with their bank. However, a video ‘chat’ with a customer presents the opportunity for a bank to deliver a more impactful and empathetic

The leaders in mobile wallet technology? Undoubtedly retailers.  Starbucks and McDonald’s are already building these wallets in response to customer demand.  But with mobile wallet use predicted to rise in 2014, should banks or mobile operators—who are better positioned to offer levels of security customers expect—be building them instead?

The challenge is that the business case for building a mobile wallet shows little direct financial benefit on its own to a bank or MNO (mobile network operator

No excuse for bad behavior in a crisis

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Cbonds-Congress, part of an Informational Holding Cbonds, and professional international risk-managers’ association PRMIA invite you to attend Russia Risk Conference 2013, which will take place on the 14th of November in Moscow, at Courtyard Marriott Moscow City Center (Voznesensky per., 7).

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Russia Risk Conference will once again bring together recognized experts and risk management professionals, who will discuss the most pressing and important topics of the industry in a friendly business at

As the recent National Security Agency scandal has highlighted, the surveillance of citizens and business by governments and regulatory bodies is as contentious as ever.  In their own way, banks have been grappling with this issue ever since the FCA mobile taping regulation was introduced. 

Two years after the FCA made all mobile communications recording mandatory for employees involved in trading, between one and two thirds of the target audience have yet to be fitted with recording technology.

While security clearance and authentication processes are essential to physical and other security, the physical DC Navy Yard breach by Aaron Alexis and the state secret breaches by Edward Snowden illustrate some disturbing weaknesses in personal validation and authentication. These clearance breaches were very different in nature but show a range of how a person’s calculated action can subvert basic security measures.

Neither top secret clearance, sophisticated authentication nor the most adva

Crown Equity Holdings Inc. (CRWE)

Looking to deliver value for its stockholders in both the near and long term, CRWE is refocusing its strategic plan for future growth and services with its original online business-to-business (B2B) marketplace platform for manufacturers and small to large businesses on a global basis to sell and acquire various types of merchandise. CRWE has started updating its B2B business plan and strategies to move forward.

B2B is the term for transactions between businesse

11 October was the deadline for CP13/5 responses on the FCA’s proposed changes to, amongst other things, CASS 7.  It’s highly likely that the FCA will get its way and push through material changes to the current CASS 7 Client money rules.  And rightly so as they want firms to reconcile client money faster, more accurately and with improved record keeping – all to ensure consumers are not let down by those holding their money.

The client money reconciliations and recordkeeping section of the consu