CEO Letter – July 2021

By: Nandini Sukumar, CEO, World Federation of Exchanges Jul 2021

We meet summer head-on with an edition that focuses on the vital things everyone in capital markets needs to consider as the world begins to emerge from the pandemic: the importance of good quality data, the necessity of thriving lit markets, the imperative of technological innovation that supports SMEs, and the role of exchanges in facilitating a green recovery and offering solutions for our climate crisis.

Markus Ferber, the distinguished MEP, reminds us all of how much there is still to be done in Europe. In a lucid and thought-provoking article, he shows us we need to think hard about which elements of the current market structure we need to retain and how we can achieve the outcome we want: more transparent and more efficient markets.

Berta Ares, Head of BME Inntech (SIX Group), takes us on a tour of their Digital Asset Marketplace, a project that aims to create a meeting between SMEs and their potential investors. Tokenisation will represent a new industrial revolution for markets, like the one that took place at the beginning of the 1990s when physical securities disappeared to become book entries, she writes. Read on for more.

In Luxembourg, demonstrating how truly global any exchange can be, Julie Becker, CEO of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, reflects on why the Luxembourg Green Exchange hit the 1,000 sustainable bond milestone, and what that means for the future.

Staying with the theme, Michael Syn, Head of Equities at Singapore Exchange, foretells the path ahead as countries around the world attempt to turn the corner on the COVID-19 crisis. The climate challenge looms ever larger as our next global reckoning, he says, and with the priority of economic repair and recovery across all major economies, it’s an exciting time to transition towards a low-carbon future state.

And finally, Eng. Khalid Al-Hussan, CEO of Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), writes on leadership and life, reflecting on what motivates him and how he measures success. It makes for compelling reading.

See you in August.