Nino Ciganovic, Head of Transaction Banking at Vontobel, on the challenges, trends and developments

I am pleased that we can continue to offer our customer banks efficient and tailor-made solutions, which are building on the excellent work done so far and the excellent platform we have developed. The focus is always on the customer and their needs, with a strong focus on automated Securities- and FX-flow. Our experience with large key clients across the value chain helps us and all our customers to master the challenges of transaction banking.

We recognized the challenges of Mifid II as an opportunity to differentiate ourselves from the market and transform them into opportunities to gain additional flow and to relieve customers in this area of the risks and their own cost-intensive solutions. We now serve over 110 banks and process over 13 million transactions a year. This gives us the entrepreneurial scope to continue investing in the growth of our platform solutions. Our focus is on adding further direct primary markets and alternative trading venues to the offering. Our Algos are constantly being enhanced and maintained in real time. In addition we want to offer our customers an electronic interface for ETD order flow and to automate the fixed income flow as far as possible. Currently, there are ongoing projects to integrate artificial intelligence and Big Data into our trading tools.

What trends and developments do we see? Sellside trading desks are increasingly being converted into multi-asset and SPOC teams. Vontobel has implemented the merger of the Service Center with the Trading Access Team. We have therefore adapted our organizational structure to the needs of our clients in order to offer them the best possible service. Our Algo development team works hand in hand with the Big Data and trading teams and for even deeper penetration, we aim to work with various universities. We are convinced that this combination offers maximum added value for our customers. Thus, the answer to cost and margin pressure is technology and the transformation of business that goes with it. This brings great challenges with it that we would like to accept and turn into opportunities. A very significant challenge will be the construction of the 'new world' (tokens, crypto, digital assets) with simultaneous continuation and further development of the 'old world'. Costs must remain under control in this environment and we must be one step ahead of change in order to get the best out of the trends for our customers.

Vontobel offers a front-to-back STP rate of 98%. We have invested many resources in this outstanding value. Where full automation is not possible, we stand out. In this very important area, the competent colleagues from the Trading Access team are there to assist our customers and offer tailor-made support. Ultimately, machines are still programmed by people and personal contact with customers is irreplaceable. Thus, the mindset and the skills in this area, namely to be open to new ideas in order not to miss the change, become more and more important.

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