SWIFT and BCG say securities industry ripe for APIs

Brussels,30 July2019

The securities servicing industry may be near a tipping point in adopting Application Program Interfaces, or APIs, as firms pursue improved efficiency and new business models.

A new report published today by SWIFT and the Boston Consulting Group found that API interest is rapidly growing in the post-trade area. Over the course of 2018 alone, awareness of APIs among asset managers increased 26 percentage points to 72%, according to a BCG survey. The growing commercial interest is driving more pilot schemes and use cases, particularly between asset managers and their custodians.

APIs are well suited to helpthe securities servicing industrywhich has to contendwith numerous and diverse asset types, complex information exchanges and increasing fee pressure. The report lays out four areas in whichAPIs can benefit the industry:

·         Efficiency and cost savings through automated data exchange

·         Real-time visibility of information such as settlement status and intraday risk

·         Value-added services such as enriched data and analytics

·         Operational benchmarks to help servicers compare performance with their peers

Adoption of APIs in the security servicing industry has been slower than in other areas of financial services in part because it has lacked a regulatory catalyst, the report says. Additionally, there is little consistency in players’readiness to adopt APIs. Asset managers vary widely in their technical sophistication and openness to engaging with providersvia API solutions. Some 56% of respondents in the BCG survey perceivematurity of post-trade APIs to be “experimental” while just 21% say it is “high” or “medium”. 

“The securities services industry, especially on the post trade side, is under increasing pressure on managing costs and improving efficiencies. The industry is aiming to leverage new technologies to shift its business model to one powered by data and integrated workflows. APIs are of particular interest to the industry and a number of companies are examining the technology keenly. However, for the technology to be broadly adopted, interoperability of models through standardised data across workflows will be essential,” said Kiran Shetty, CEO & Regional Head, India & South Asia, SWIFT.

The report sets outfour calls to action for the industry:

·         Mutualise common API infrastructure. Foundational pieces of API solutions, such as Identity management, authentication, security, and network connectivity management should be agreed at an industry level between firms,rather than by individual firms.

·         Curate API standards to support interoperability. Proliferation of multiple standards threatens to diminish the efficiency gains that APIs can deliver. The industry needs a single API standard that works across providers.

·         Support networked APIs rather than point-to-point solutions. Firms stand to benefit from networked APIs. For example, a single call to check the status of settlement from a broker-dealer can be routed to multiple custodians simultaneously. A networked solution will also support convergence both of data definitions and of other API characteristics.

·         Meet strict security and resiliency standards. To gain traction, any API solution will need to meet a high bar in data protection and have high levels of resiliency.

“Wholesale banking is becoming more digital, and APIs have been one of the key technologies underpinning that transformation,” said Sumitra Karthikeyan, Global Head of Securities Servicing for BCG. “APIs are now starting to break into the securities servicing industry, emerging as a leading technology executives turn to as they seek to transition to digital-first firms. While familiar challenges from the past such as interoperability and security are headwinds to adoption, we believe they will be overcome and expect increasing adoption going forward.”

About SWIFT

SWIFT is a global member owned cooperative and the world’s leading provider of secure financial messaging services. We provide our community with a platform for messaging and standards for communicating, and we offer products and services to facilitate access and integration, identification, analysis and regulatory compliance.

Our messaging platform, products and services connect more than 11,000 banking and securities organisations, market infrastructures and corporate customers in more than 200 countries and territories. While SWIFT does not hold funds or manage accounts on behalf of customers, we enable our global community of users to communicate securely, exchanging standardised financial messages in a reliable way, thereby supporting global and local financial flows, as well as trade and commerce all around the world.

As their trusted provider, we relentlessly pursue operational excellence; we support our community in addressing cyber threats; and we continually seek ways to lower costs, reduce risks and eliminate operational inefficiencies. Our products and services support our community’s access and integration, business intelligence, reference data and financial crime compliance needs. SWIFT also brings the financial community together – at global, regional and local levels – to shape market practice, define standards and debate issues of mutual interest or concern. SWIFT’s strategic five year plan, SWIFT2020, challenges SWIFT to continue investing in the security, reliability and growth of its core messaging platform, while making additional investments in existing services and delivering new and innovative solutions.

Headquartered in Belgium, SWIFT’s international governance and oversight reinforces the neutral, global character of its cooperative structure. SWIFT’s global office network ensures an active presence in all the major financial centres.