Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the August issue of Focus.  We are delighted to unveil a brand-new, modern look-and-feel for the magazine, whilst still staying true to the vibrant, quality, industry-led content that has always been its mainstay. We hope you like the new format, which allows for easier navigation between thematic content, and past issues, along with greater visual impact.  The Focus website is also aligned to the new WFE website which will be launched next month – more to follow on that in due course. 

Two years since Dominic Stevens became CEO of ASX, we talk to him in the Exe...

The first half of 2018 has been eventful for stock markets worldwide. While the year started on a high note with domestic market capitalisation and benchmark indices scaling record high levels in markets across the globe, February 2018 was marked by a global stock market correction and a return of volatility after a remarkably calm period over 2017.

Founded in 1973 as the first US listed options exchange, Cboe Global Markets further revolutionised the financial world 10 years later with the introduction of options on broad-based stock indexes, S&P 500 Index options (SPX^SM).

The WFE has published its response to the Financial Stability Board's (FSB) Cyber Lexicon Consultation.

Research from Nasdaq, in collaboration with Celent, into capital markets infrastructure technology, has uncovered three important trends: the factors that are driving changes in market infrastructure; how MIs are using technology to support business strategies; and how technology spend is evolving.

H1 2018 was eventful for stock markets worldwide. While the year started on a high note with domestic market capitalisation and benchmark indices scaling record levels in markets, February 2018 was marked by a global stock market correction and a return to volatility.

Works by Brazilian artists including Anita Malfatti, Alberto da Veiga Guignard, Benedito Calixto, Candido Portinari and Emiliano di Cavalcanti have been loaned by B3 to MASP, and will be part of the museum’s collection for the next 30 years.

Two years since Dominic Stevens became CEO of ASX, we talk to him about his first 24 months in the role, and his strategic plans for the exchange.

Just over a year since the launch of LMEprecious, we hear from Kate Eged, Head of Precious Metals at LME about how the platform has performed. She also outlines plans for the next phase of development.