Derivs - Equity

The Royal Bank of Scotland plans to launch its electronic structured products platform in the U.S. and to expand its structured products sales and e-commerce team in the country.

Balaji Thiruvengadasamy and Alex Lee, both v.p.s in equity derivative structuring at Barclays Capital in Hong Kong, have left the firm, according to an official familiar with the moves.

Citigroup has promoted Mike Pringle to the new position of head of global equities trading. Pringle has been head of equities for Europe, Middle East and Africa since 2009.

F&C Investments has hired Nabil Owadally as a derivatives fund manager in its investment solutions business.

Consensus on exempting pension funds from central clearing obligations is starting to form within the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

Eric Ma, managing director and head of warrants trading for Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong, and Franky Choi, a v.p. in warrants trading in Hong Kong, were the two DB officials arrested last week for allegedly taking bribes to provide favourable pricing on warrants.

The International Swaps and Derivatives Association is working on amendments to section 2(a)(iii) of its master agreements to reduce legal disputes in cases of default.

Ingo Heiner, head of institutional equity derivatives and fund distribution for Germany and Austria at the Royal Bank of Scotland in London, has left the firm, a little over a year since joining.

Goldman Sachs has lost Samir Dhrolia, an equity derivatives trader on the firm’s Canadian derivatives trading desk.

Retail investor appetite for Korean worst-of auto callable structured products is driving up implied correlation between the KOSPI2 and the HSCEI, making a short position on implied correlation an attractive one, according to strategists at Royal Bank of Scotland in Hong Kong.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has hired Anupam Gupta as a managing director and head of Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa structuring in London, as the firm continues to build out its emerging market business.

RBC Capital Markets has hired Wahid Chaudhry as a director and senior exotic equity derivatives trader in Hong Kong, according to officials familiar with the move.