Derivs - People and Markets

FTSE Russell, the global index and data company, has hired Sean Smith as managing director of derivatives licences.

Former regional head of BNP Paribas’ global markets in the Iberia region, Joe Lovrics, has joined Citi as head of its Spain and Portugal markets franchises.

BlackRock announced this week that Tim O'Hara, the former head of markets at Credit Suisse, was joining the investment management firm as co-head of global credit.

Resenthal Collins Group, the US futures broker and clearing company, has recruited Hilton Sheng to head a new structured products division.

NEX Group, the e-trading company spun out of ICAP and Tullet Prebon's merger, has hired Dr Kay Swinburne, an MEP who has been at the heart of writing trading regulation, to its new regulatory think-tank.

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) has followed up on a promise made at the end of last year, announcing on Monday that foreign institutional investors are now allowed to enter the onshore FX derivatives market.

Deutsche Börse owned trading platform business 360T, has hired Simon Jones in a new role titled chief growth officer.

Hopes for the London Stock Exchange Group's merger with Deutsche Börse were struck down on Monday, as European authorities’ latest demands on the parties proved too much for them to meet.

Deputy Governor of the Bank of England for financial stability Sir Jon Cunliffe this week warned against the influence of ‘currency nationalism’ in determining clearing centres.

Citi has named appointed an internal candidate as its global head of equity sales.

Deutsche Bank has closed its US swaps clearing business with immediate effect, as the bank responds to regulatory requirements that would have forced it to post more capital than it was willing to support the business with.

European financial market regulators have operated for some time without an equivalent to the ‘no action letters’ available to the other regulatory authorities such as those in the US but the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has woken up to the need for this recourse as a looming March 1 rollout of variation margin rules on uncleared derivatives threatens lockdown for swathes of unprepared participants.