Globalisation
Financial markets firms have historically avoided the commoditization trap by innovating to create new products and services. The bulk of their impressive growth has typically come from mature markets. Yet today, growth opportunities in those geographies are evaporating, and meaningful future expansion will come from new markets. Indeed, the worldwide industry opportunity is expected to double by 2015. But which firms will seize these emerging profit pools? We believe it will be those that specialize in the areas their clients value while optimizing their global reach…and do both in ways that aren’t expected. Read more…

The Trader is Dead! Long Live the Trader! A Financial Market Renaissance
In the face of commoditization and fierce competition, financial markets firms have continued to thrive by innovating and hustling, leading to an overall 15 percent return on equity (ROE) over the last decade, compared to 8.7 percent ROE for the average company. Firms have long benefited from the edge provided by proprietary information access and market insight, but these advantages will come under significant pressure over the next decade as two inexorable trends accelerate: transparency and speed. Read more…

Into the Future - Fast Track for Financial Markets
According to TABB Group, by 2010 over half of the U.S. equities trade orders will be executed using algorithms. At the same time, the data volume explosion will continue to stress existing front office systems beyond their original design points. High-performance computing expertise, platforms and technologies typically found in academic research and government agencies are being put to the challenge as financial firms are rethinking their infrastructures and tuning them for high-velocity financial analytics and trading solutions.

From acceleration technologies to hybrid systems to ultrascale computing and more, IBM has the deep engineering, architectural and application capabilities to help firms deliver world-class systems that meet today’s challenges. Read more…