Automated Trader- Contineo announces new Data Product, I/O

Contineo launches data products for the structured product market.

Contineo has launched I/O, a suite of data products for equity-linked structured products.

“The launch of I/O represents a sizeable milestone in the evolution of the structured products space, said Contineo CEO Mark Munoz. “The data analytics and insights have never been available before and we think the applications will be really varied as market participants seek to understand this previously opaque part of the financial products landscape.”

I/O is a standalone set of products that includes proprietary analysis for Contineo subscribers, and anonymized market data. Proprietary analyses include executive dashboards at individual bank and whole-of-market level, which inform subscribers about internal performance at individual, team and firm level, as well as performance relative to other firms. The system also generates specific reports on request.

I/O also offers a data feed for service integration and document generation enabling banks to work with the data sets directly to suit their specific internal needs. Both proprietary and market overview data can be delivered directly into user’s internal systems.

http://www.automatedtrader.net/news/at/156988/contineo-announces-new-data-product–io

ABOUT CONTINEO
Contineo is the first industry supported open messaging network and community to access issuers of structured products. From best price discovery to order fulfilment, our subscribers benefit from unique data analytics through a comprehensive global network.
Contineo is proud to count the world’s leading private and investment banks as subscribers. To learn more and see a demo please visit www.contineo.link or contact info@contineo.com.hk.


Finance Magnates- Contineo Launches Data Service Bringing Transparency to Structured Products

The new product suite will provide market participants with insight into a previously opaque market.

Contineo, a network serving the wealth management industry, has announced the launch of I/O, a suite of data products designed to bring transparency to equity-linked structured products.

According to Contineo, this is the first time such a large amount of data has been collated and analysed to provide subscribers on the network insight into their business and performance, as well as providing other market participants with insight into a previously opaque market.
Efficiencies

The service is useful for private banks, investment banks and other financial institutions such as asset managers and hedge funds, financial technology providers and the general structured product industry.

Subscribers can utilise the service to assist relationship managers with more product insight and create efficiency at the trading desk and for investment banks, to improve pricing and increase market depth.

Contineo CEO Mark Munoz commented: “The launch of I/O represents a sizeable milestone in the evolution of the structured products space. The data analytics and insights have never been available before and we think the applications will be really varied as market participants seek to understand this previously opaque part of the financial products landscape.”

I/O is a standalone set of products that includes proprietary analysis for Contineo subscribers, and anonymous market data. Proprietary analyses include executive dashboards at individual bank and whole-of-market level, which inform subscribers about internal performance at individual, team and firm level, as well as performance relative to other firms. The system also generates specific reports on request.

Contineo designed I/O so each bank’s data is protected, segregated, securely stored and remains private, and the market view is entirely anonymous.
Data Feed

I/O also offers a data feed for service integration and document generation, bringing efficiency to these processes for the first time. This offering allows for banks’ operations teams to work with the data sets directly to suit their specific internal needs. Both proprietary and market overview data can be delivered directly into user’s internal systems.

“I/O is an important step for Contineo,” continued Munoz. “Having built the network and seen the growth in our volume, our next step was delivering the analytics this industry so desperately needs.”

Contineo Launches Data Service Bringing Transparency to Structured Products

ABOUT CONTINEO
Contineo is the first industry supported open messaging network and community to access issuers of structured products. From best price discovery to order fulfilment, our subscribers benefit from unique data analytics through a comprehensive global network.
Contineo is proud to count the world’s leading private and investment banks as subscribers. To learn more and see a demo please visit www.contineo.link or contact info@contineo.com.hk.


Inside Market Data: Contineo Launches Data Analytics for Structured Products Community

Contineo’s I/O provides financial service providers and market participants with proprietary analysis and data on the structured products market.

Contineo, the industry-backed messaging network for equity- linked structured products, has launched I/O, a data analytics tool that collates and analyzes data on its existing network to provide users with insights into market activity.

I/O is a set of products for Contineo subscribers that includes proprietary analysis and anonymous market data about structured products activity over the vendor’s network.

These include firm-wide and market-wide executive dashboards that provide insight into users’ performance at an individual, team and firm level, as well as their performance relative to other firms.

Subscribers to Contineo’s network have access to basic reports, while more comprehensive enterprise reports and an API datafeed are available for an additional fee. By analyzing activity, users will be able to adjust their strategies─for example, to achieve greater insight into client relationships, or to improve pricing and market depth in response to changes in activity.

Subscribers will have access to charts and rankings on request for quote (RFQs) and request for order (RFO) activity, and aggregated views on products that are trending and selling in the market. The data is segregated by individual bank, and any potentially identifying information is removed for the market view.

Contineo’s I/O has been generating reports for subscribers since September 2016, and will launch the second version of the platform later this year. A third version is already in development, and will offer additional forward-looking features. For example, if a structured product will expire soon, I/O will provide options that the client can take, such as to either roll the product over or hold it to expiry.

The tool also generates compliance and regulatory reports, and officials say it will appeal to a range of financial institutions, from private banks and investment banks to asset managers, hedge funds, and financial technology providers serving the structured products industry, and will serve a range of applications as market participants seek to apply the never-before available information to a previously opaque market.

“Private banks have never had a trusted source for market intelligence in their business and this is key and it’s proving to be a useful tool for them, particularly on the buy side. The network is a great utility but the data helps them grow their business,” says Contineo chief executive Mark Munoz. “We are helping the buy side in terms of running their operations. It gives them more insight into their business, usage and user activity. For the sell-side, they are more interested in the market impact report, and I/O also allows them to see why they’ve missed a trade.”

Contineo has seven private banks subscribed to its network, and has seen a 20 percent increase in traffic on the network so far in January 2017 alone, officials say.

https://www.waterstechnology.com/inside-market-data/news/2480994/contineo-launches-data-analytics-for-structured-products-community

ABOUT CONTINEO

Contineo is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. Together we are a community with a shared vision and purpose.

We believe that technology should be intuitive, easy to access, and available to all participants. This means creating an open messaging standard in concert with the buy-side and sell-side, and enabling access to all parties, including other certified technology vendors.

This mission is shared by our current subscribers, who recognise the importance of an open, efficient and transparent network.


Contineo wins Best Multi-Dealer Platform in 2016 Asian Private Banker Structured Products Awards for Excellence

Be it for cost-cutting purposes, seamless execution or ease of transacting reverse inquiry business, the electronic structured products business has emerged, in recent years, as one of the centrepieces of private banks’ pursuit of scale in Asia.Ultimately, the promise of increased margins on client-directed trading, deeper client relationships due to a reallocation of resources, and greater conversions of client assets to fee-based offerings have enticed many to test the multi-dealer platform space.

Given that market conditions have not been favourable for eld testing the automation of large volumes, 2016 has proven a tough year for gauging the absolute effectiveness of multi-dealer platforms. Invariably though, exceptional multi-dealer platform providers hold a long-term mentality and the belief that a business driven by markets and appetite demands perseverance.

One such provider has remained resilient amidst financial, economic, and political head- winds. Contineo, the equity-linked platform supported by a gallery of bulge bracket providers, experienced an exponential growth in orders and a doubling client base in what managing director, Mark Muñoz, calls a banner year.

“The volume increase was not deterred by overall market performance as we rolled out access to relationship managers and more trade desk users,” he says.

Muñoz attributes Contineo’s success to a number of developments to the platform, with the rm rolling out updates to tools like Contineo I/O, a data service that allows for mar- ket analysis through evaluation of user data. us far, these updates have numbered an impressive 50, including the implementation of utilities for the amendment of orders and the uploading of complex pricing requests through spreadsheets.

“These new features are widely praised by our clients and have also increased the amount of flow the firms trade electronically,” he adds. “We are very excited for the next steps in the company’s growth. We are currently working with our clients to determine the next set of payoffs and how we can assist in post-trade services, as well as further enhancing our new data services.”

For its continuous commitment to enhancement and a ra of new milestones achieved, Contineo has been voted as this year’s Best Multi-dealer Platform.

ABOUT CONTINEO

Contineo is the first industry supported, open messaging network for private banks and wealth management firms to access issuers of structured products. Together we are a community with a shared vision and purpose.

We believe that technology should be intuitive, easy to access, and available to all participants. This means creating an open messaging standard in concert with the buy-side and sell-side, and enabling access to all parties, including other certified technology vendors.

This mission is shared by our current subscribers, who recognise the importance of an open, efficient and transparent network.


Citywire Asia Magazine - How Fintech is changing Asia's Structured Products Market

Contineo – an open messaging network for equity-linked structured products – recently announced it had gained JP Morgan and BSI as subscribers. It now counts four of Asia’s top 10 private banks, as measured by AuM, among its subscribers.Managing director Mark Munoz spoke about how fintech companies are collaborating with private banks in the region and what their biggest challenges are.
Could you elaborate on your new platform and the technology it uses?

Contineo is a network that facilitates pricing and order processing between buy-side and sell-side firms. It is the WhatsApp of structured products! As our technology was developed as a set of standards for the industry, we are able to have all subscribers agree to a set of technical and operating principles in order to create a more efficient marketplace for standard flow products.

Contineo is much more than just a network – we’re an open industry organisation where all our subscribers can benefit and can help drive innovation for the network.

Our technology facilitates a unique set of data analytics that our subscribers can use for compliance and regulatory reporting. They can also see the performance of their business and what the overall flow for structure products looks like in Asia.
Why did you see the need for a structured products platform?

Currently, trading of structured products is a highly manual process, with most banks using Excel and email for pricing and trading. This leads to errors and is costly for both sides of the transaction. Through Contineo, we’ve managed to standardise the workflow. This has made it more transparent for businesses, compliance, relationship managers and others.
Who has signed up for this platform?

Contineo covers four of Asia’s top 10 private banks and six of the top 20 as subscribers, as measured by AuM. This is effectively 40% of the total market measured by AuM.
How receptive are banks to the products developed by fintech companies in the region?

Banks have embraced fintech companies as they look to automate processes and find technology that helps increase product distribution.

The challenge banks face isn’t working with fintech companies, but being able to adapt these technologies so as not to disrupt the running of the banks. Contineo helps banks achieve this by moving them from a highly manual, errorprone process to one that is simply online using a web-based tool.

The real problem is fintech companies sometimes don’t understand the bank’s processes, regulatory challenges, and the internal hurdles and timeframe it takes to adapt new technology.

Many early-stage fintech companies can become disillusioned with the process because of the length of time to move from proof of concept to production and the high costs of implementing and maintaining an application for a bank.

Contineo was able to work with regulators, investment banks and private banks prior to launching to gain an understanding of their problems before developing a solution that was eventually adopted and supported by the industry.
What are the main technological challenges that private banks face in Asia?

I believe there are two primary challenges for private banks in the region.

First, private banking is often based on tradition and building personal relationships with clients. However, the demographic of the client has shifted over the past decade to a much younger, more physically mobile and tech savvy individual. This new generation is online, uses social media, communicates more through chat than over the phone or face to face. Therefore, private banks must adapt technologies, processes and communication channels so they benefit and ease the burden for their clients.

Second, there is continued information saturation in the market. Long gone are simple research reports where a client has the time to consume and understand the information.

Now clients are inundated with information from every source point – online, mobile, television, streaming news services and more.

Private banks will struggle as they try to capture their clients’ attention with the most relevant information to ensure their clients make an informed and confident decision.
Are there plans for new products or services in the pipeline?

We expect to announce a major new service late in the second quarter of the year. We will also announce new payoffs to add to the platform at the end of the year and new subscribers who will join on both the buy and sell sides.

This interview was published in the April issue of Citywire Asia magazine.


JP Morgan Private Bank Publication - The FinTech Choice

Mark Munoz, Managing Director for Contineo & Venture Partner at Vectr Ventures

Financial Technology – or FinTech as it is commonly known – is riding a wave of unabated enthusiasm. The industry attracted US$12.2 billion of capital in 2014 alone1, with new players looking to replace or enhance traditional banking services – from smartphones offering contact‐free payments to artificial intelligence services providing investment advice. Banks are realizing that the days of incrementally updating legacy systems and patching solutions when possible are ending. In turn, there is a shift from the “run versus change” mentality toward a “run versus innovate” model.

FinTech startups are gaining recognition from banks and investors alike, albeit for different reasons. Whereas banks are keen on partnering with those who can offer them an edge in this digital shift (whether by cost streamlining, providing greater transparency for regulators, increasing their service distribution range or revamping outdate processes), investors should instead be looking at how sustainable their business model is, or whether they have a competitive advantage to endure a financing crisis during their early growth phase; when their brand is not yet well established. In either case, investing in FinTech is not a short term trade, it should be done by those who are prepared to be long term partners. Given the importance of longer term sustainability, below are a few aspects investors need to consider:

The strength of the team is the top criteria. Unsurprisingly it is among the first things experienced VCs look at when making an investment. Having the right team can make or break the company, more so than the idea behind it. Investors will want to look at the right level of expertise and experience of the founders, the right background/academics, past track record and reputation in the sector.

Investors should be familiar with the startup’s niche sector and business model. Although often used as a generic term, FinTech tends to be quite specialized across a wide range functions, from data analytics companies that establish a borrower’s loan risk to blockchain solutions for derivatives trading and the record‐keeping of complex products. This means keeping up‐to‐date with market developments and becoming comfortable with the nuances of the sector. It’s important to note, most FinTech startups won’t survive the first years; so if investors do not understand bitcoin, or payments, or lending, it may be best to invest elsewhere. Understanding the competitive landscape is necessary, as the companies that lack competitive advantage will be quick to fall behind the pack.

Keeping close checks on market changes and emerging trends is especially relevant. In this sector there are many fast moving parts. A new technology, a newly accessed market or changing regulation can quickly blindside someone looking to make an investment without the proper due diligence. The emergence of RegTech (technology focused on supporting banks in meeting their strict and ever‐ changingregulatory requirements), for instance, is a testament to how new entrants are creatingsolutions for an evolvingindustry demand. Fintech can be a catalyst for innovation, benefitting banks and regulators alike and create key opportunities.

The potential market size is big, there is a sound strategy to win customers; but how well can a small company take advantage of this opportunity? Having a scalable business model is imperative for success. Scalability and an appropriate pricing model makes a notable difference from leveraging distribution networks, engaging in trusted partnerships and cost advantages. Scale ensures the business can grow up to a level where investors will get their money back.

Whether a startup, a home or an asset, an investor needs to trust what he is buying and to be convinced that this business addresses a real concern or problem in the marketplace. The founders’ vision needs to solve a problem and do so in a simple and innovative way. If the supply chain is too complex, or the value proposition is not clear, the investor might need to rethink.

The FinTech space is quickly becoming a crowded one. The added choice is great for consumers and market participants, but what does it mean for the sector? The FinTech world also has its fair share of challenges and shortcomings compared to leading banks. These include questions around client trust, a lack of long‐term credibility and the absence of an existing client base. Another difficulty is the culture clash that potentially exists between the tech and banking world. Successful startups will need to adapt to the inner workings of banks and gain credibility for delivering trustworthy solutions for consumers.

Out of expediency, banks have typically had a culture of quick fixes and improvised patches, mixed with long approval processes and committee sign‐offs. As with any investment, understanding the risks is imperative.

It should be apparent by this point that FinTech will soon be facing a big rationalization. Does it mean that now is not the time to look at investment opportunities? Of course not, the potential opportunities are too great to ignore. It does mean, however, that this is the time to be selective and discern which will be the startups that will define the future of the sector. Investors must look past the noise and hype surrounding FinTech and choose the right founders, with innovative ideas, who are well placed to capitalize on emerging technologies in this new market.


Bloomberg Newsletter- Multi-Issuer Services in Asia will have to Consolidate, Contineo's Munoz says

Multi-issuer platforms in Asia eventually will have to consolidate to survive in the region’s fragmented structured-note market, according to Mark Munoz, managing director of Contineo Ltd., which provides one of four such services in Asia. Viren Vaghela of Bloomberg Brief spoke with Munoz by phone.

Q: Contineo has been operating as a multi-issuer platform in Asia for 10 months. What have you achieved?

A: We have seven bank issuers: HSBC, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, BNP Paribas, Societe Generale and Natixis, and hope to announce two more later this year. We also have five private banks including Julius Baer, JP Morgan Private Bank and BSI, and two more are lined up to join by June. They are both medium-sized firms based in Singapore.

We have an indication [from our research] that the size of the [Asia structured-note] market could be as big as $125 billion in [sales] each year, which is larger than the combined value of the Hong Kong and Singapore stock markets.

Q: Have you seen any recent trends in Asia structured-note issuance?

A: As volatility is low, trading volumes are flat, not just for our subscribers but for the industry as a whole. However, we have seen a lot of interest in Asia and US technology stocks as underliers, but less so for Europe (click here for March breakdown).

Q: Is there space for more than one multi-issuer structured-product platform in Asia?

A: I look at how networks for other asset classes work and you can have multiple networks. For Asia, it may be more challenging given how [spread out] the market is, so fragmentation will only hurt us and consolidation is inevitable.

Q: What big initiatives do you have planned for this year?

A: We expect to tackle issues such as common term sheets for the industry as it’s a cost and a pain. The private banks want standardized term sheets and the issuer banks on our network would like to do that to lower everyone’s costs.

Our big initiative, and we haven’t announced it officially, is that we are adding life-cycle management to the network this year. Life-cycle management includes notification of knock-in and knock-out events, notification of maturity and expiration dates, corporate actions and valuation information.

When we met with the private banks last year this was a constant source of pain for all of them.

Q: Given the huge structured-note markets in Japan and Korea, will you be expanding into these countries?

A: While we are focused on Hong Kong and Singapore, we are expanding our team and expect to grow our market presence in Japan and Korea in the coming years. Once or twice a month we are approached by an issuer or private bank in Korea, Japan and Thailand, so there is interest, but we are focusing on our two core markets until our platform reaches full scale.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you and Contineo had to overcome to get to this point?

A: One is perception. There’s a lot of information in the market that it’s controlled by the investment banks which is unfair in some respects. We are a small company that has been able to make big strides in large part as we have been able to work with buy-side and sell-side banks on a number of standards that bring efficiencies to the market.

Q: You have companies from the same financial group on your platform as issuers and private banks. How do you ensure no information leaks from say JPMorgan’s private bank about issuing banks’ pricing to JPMorgan’s investment bank? Is there a Chinese wall in place?

A: Other issuers can’t see their competitors’ pricing, so issuer A can’t see issuer B’s pricing on the request for quote, but the private bank can see multiple pricing. We are careful on data dissemination and mindful of confidentiality.

Q: Now that you have secured a broad range of issuers and private banks, what are the chances of bringing on some of the biggest issuers and private banks in the market like UBS and Credit Suisse?

A: Without mentioning names, certain investment banks want to control their internal flow so a multi-issuer platform is a threat to their core business, but it’s inevitable in terms of what private banks want to see.

Even though some banks have their own networks and have invested heavily in them, they recognize the benefits of a centralized hub like Contineo. As the network grows and adds more payoffs, the value-add will become apparent.

This interview was edited for length.


The Asset: Contineo expands its network of Private Bank clients

J.P. Morgan Private Bank, BSI and two other private banks have joined Contineo’s messaging network for structured products, bringing the list of subscribers to 40% of Asia’s top private banks measured by AUM. Natixis has joined the network as a new issuer.“We went live just seven months ago and have had an enthusiastic response to our offering,” says Mark Munoz, managing director of Contineo. The Hong Kong-based company is the first industry-supported, open messaging network aiming to facilitate quoting and trading in structured products by linking private banks and wealth management firms with issuers.

Four out of Asia’s top 10 private banks by AUM subscribe to Contineo network, while the issuers include Julius Baer, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JP Morgan and Societe Generale. The private banks are based mostly in Singapore and the issuers in Hong Kong.

Contineo facilitates a high level of automation in what has traditionally been a cumbersome process based on email and spreadsheets. The online platform is capable of delivering hundreds of quotes for structured products upon a single request. It facilitates placing of orders, communicating their status and delivering term sheets after a trade is executed.

“One of the reasons we’ve been able to have such quick adoption is that we have compliance support, regulatory reports, best execution reports… and about 25 others,” says Munoz. Compiling them has traditionally been very time consuming.

The company has been also leveraging its data analytics. “We’re able to deliver back some useful information to our subscribers about what’s happening in structured products across Asia,” says Munoz.

Contineo supports six types of equity-linked structured payoffs: equity-linked notes, knock-out equity linked notes, accumulators, decumulators, fixed coupon notes, daily range accrual notes and OTC options. “We’re looking at two or three other payoffs to add,” says Munoz.

Read more at http://theasset.com/article/30874/contineo-expands-its-network-of-private-bank-clients


Business Wire: Contineo Grabs 40% of Asia’s Top Private Banks With JP Morgan Private Bank, BSI and Natixis

HONG KONG–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Contineo, the industry-backed messaging network for equity-linked structured products, today announced that new subscribers JP Morgan Private Bank, BSI, and two other global private banks are joining the network on the buy-side, and Natixis has joined as a new issuer.

Contineo now has four of Asia’s top ten private banks and six of the top 20 as subscribers, as measured by AUM. Current network participants include Julius Baer, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Societe Generale.

The platform has been live since June last year and is already seeing a significant flow in RFQs and orders.

Nicolas Reille, Head of Sales, Equity Derivatives, Asia Pacific at Natixis, said that Contineo adds transparency to the structured products market. “Natixis is a strong supporter of more transparency. We believe the higher the transparency, the better for investors, distributors and products providers. In particular, a more transparent market will help to further diversify the range of structured products commonly traded by investors, improving the returns of their structured products portfolios in different market conditions, leading to a growing share of structured products in investors’ portfolios.”

Contineo Managing Director Mark Munoz expressed that in just seven months the firm had made enormous strides. “We went live just seven months ago and have had an enthusiastic response to our offering and now we see usage growing month over month with our new subscribers,” he said. “The business is growing rapidly and we are very pleased with its development alongside all our partners.”

Contineo acts as a communications hub for products including Equity Linked Notes; Knock-Out Equity Linked Notes; Accumulator; Decumulator; Fixed Coupon Notes; DRAN and OTC Options. The network also offers bespoke data products that illuminate for the first time the intricacies of the equity-linked structured product market.

To Read More, click here.