The post-trade industry finds itself at the centre of a series of transformative forces set to reshape the landscape, as regulators work overtime to keep up with developments. Keeping abreast of rapid change brings unique challenges – and in response our latest white paper aims to provide industry participants with a guide to understanding and navigating both recent and upcoming landmarks.

We begin with a thorough examination of the global forces driving shorter settlement cycles from theory to reality. From the pioneering efforts across Asia, centred on China and India, to the forthcoming implementation of T+1 settlement in the United States and Canada, we take a deep dive into this paradigm shift.

Turning to digitalisation and digital assets, we explore how the regulatory regime is maturing, exploring the policy recommendations of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), addressing both decentralised finance (DeFi) and crypto assets, as well as Basel Committee initiatives, focusing on the disclosure of crypto asset exposure and targeted adjustments to standards.

We also review the hot button issue of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on global regulatory developments – providing insight into the EU AI Act’s new ‘minimal to unacceptable’ categorisation system, China’s focus on specific AI model types, Singapore’s proposed AI Governance Framework for Generative AI, and other key updates. Having explored the topics affecting the global market, we also provide regional reports. For Europe we delve into the MiFID II/MiFIR refit and revisions to the Central Securities Depositories Regulation (CSDR), and for Asia we provide an overview of settlement compression, and the continued focus on market access.

Boon-Hiong Chan, Head of Fund Services and Head of Securities Market & Technology Advocacy, Deutsche Bank

Britta Woernle, Head of Market Advocacy Europe Securities Services, Deutsche Bank