Cash management is growing in importance, but negative interest rates, the regulatory fallout from the financial crisis and an increasingly complex political landscape are colluding to make life difficult for transaction bankers and corporate treasurers.
Largely thanks to its innovative new solution for on- and off-exchange reporting, pan-European exchange BATS Chi-X Europe has seen its market share balloon in recent months. But, aware of the dangers of complacency, chief operating officer David Howson says that the firm is just as focused on further innovation as on growth.
Computers have reached such a level of sophistication that they can now outperform their human counterparts at some tasks, a fact that has not gone unnoticed in the banking community. But, while smart machines are increasingly being utilised in customer service and data analysis capacities, advocates of these new technologies maintain that they are designed to complement rather than replace the traditional workforce.
Before coming to banking, Lloyds Bank commercial banking's head of global transaction banking Ed Smith worked for range of different companies – from car manufacturer Rover to drinks company Diageo. The skills and experience he has picked up along the way are helping him to put a new spin on the global transaction banking business at Lloyds.