Search
Search
From The Markets
03.26.2018
Contributed Content

UK Buy-Side Fee Disclosures in Focus

03.26.2018
Fee disclosure standards are coming, but how can increased transparency give greater power to fund managers?
By Peter Rippon, CEO of OpenGamma
 

Peter Rippon, OpenGamma

The asset management industry in the UK will be previewing the new industry standard for fee disclosure requirements in the coming weeks, warned Chris Sier, the chair of the FCA’s taskforce set up to promote transparency. MiFID II’s goal of creating fairer and more open markets certainly dovetails with an era of an ultra-cost sensitive investor, and Sier’s taskforce was set up last summer to standardise the costs and charges data that fund managers disclose to their clients.

This requirement forces funds to reveal their trading costs to ensure investors know exactly where their money is going. All of a sudden, there is a much higher degree of scrutiny to understand, in great detail, the level of costs across an asset management business.
Essentially, this is money going out the door to bank counterparties which could perhaps be allocated more efficiently. Fund managers need to use the new information collated under the Cost and Charges rules not only to report back to investors, but to run analysis that unearths the true value of the business that they allocate to each counterparty. Only then can they make more informed decisions about where to allocate business to reduce overall trading costs.
This shift to analysing trade profitability is the only way to understand the real value of each bank relationship. Admittedly, this is easier said than done, and is a major hurdle to overcome for any fund running highly complex derivative trading strategies. Many of these firms are already under the cosh from end investors to deliver greater returns, which puts an even stronger emphasis on streamlining costs.
The first conundrum, is trying to accurately assess these key bank relationships by calculating costs that, until now, have never had to be calculated. Reporting the cost of trading less liquid, over the counter (OTC) derivative instruments, for example, is a much bigger challenge than reporting on the likes of cash equity. There is simply not enough price information available to easily work out a fair mid-price. But with the FCA’s taskforce restating its intent to publish fee transparency standards for illiquid assets in the coming weeks, it’s clear that these instruments will not be taking a backseat just because they present a greater challenge when it comes to calculating costs.
Take the trading of Interest Rate Swaps (IRS). For this type of instrument, the notional size, currency and market volatility levels will all be key to determining the size of the spread that will ultimately be paid. With derivatives instruments like this, fund managers are trading under varying market conditions daily. Therefore, they will need to collate specific data sets in order to get a true view of how large the bid-offer spread is through different counterparties, compared with the mid-market price of a given trading scenario. Trying to get a handle on these previously hidden costs is what makes accurately assessing counterparty relationships such a headache. If you don’t know what a fair mid-price for a particular scenario looks like, how can you judge if a counterparty is offering a good deal?
As this new regulatory landscape begins to take shape over the coming months, it is clear fund managers will gain a new level of insight to understand the best banks to do business with. Firms that unlock this information will be best placed to increase their buying power with counterparties. Those with more purchasing power will ramp up competition between banks and ultimately, drive down end investor costs exactly as MiFID II intends.

 

Markets Media Follow

Digital publisher covering trading & technology in capital markets. @FIXGlobalOnline @TheBondDesk @BestExecution @DerivSource @WomeninFinanceM @TraderTeeVee

marketsmedia
marketsmedia Markets Media @marketsmedia ·
3 Oct

Markets Media Group was pleased to host the 2025 European Women in Finance Awards last night at Claridge’s in London.
#WomeninFinance #WIF #EuropeanFinance #FinanceCommunity

See the full list of winners here: https://www.marketsmedia.com/2025-european-women-in-finance-awards-the-winners/

3

Reply on Twitter 1974156023549350329 Retweet on Twitter 1974156023549350329 2 Like on Twitter 1974156023549350329 3 Twitter 1974156023549350329
marketsmedia Markets Media @marketsmedia ·
30 Sep

We are excited to announce the finalists for the 2025 U.S. Women in Finance Awards! Congratulations to all!

Check out the full list here:


#WomeninFinance #WIF #financeindustry

Reply on Twitter 1973054419567530326 Retweet on Twitter 1973054419567530326 Like on Twitter 1973054419567530326 Twitter 1973054419567530326
marketsmedia Markets Media @marketsmedia ·
30 Sep

Nominations are NOW OPEN for the 2026 Women in Finance LatAm Awards! Do you know a standout leader, innovator, or rising star? Nominate her today!

Learn more & submit your nomination:

#WomeninFinance #Finance #WIF

Reply on Twitter 1973053947121197180 Retweet on Twitter 1973053947121197180 Like on Twitter 1973053947121197180 Twitter 1973053947121197180
marketsmedia Markets Media @marketsmedia ·
24 Sep

HSBC AI Markets harnesses natural language processing to meet market participants’ trading and hedging needs, from pre-trade analysis, to execution, to post-trade. Markets Media caught up with Tom Croft to learn more about the platform.

#AIMarkets

Reply on Twitter 1970907013883584714 Retweet on Twitter 1970907013883584714 1 Like on Twitter 1970907013883584714 Twitter 1970907013883584714
Load More

Related articles

  1. From The Markets

    WisdomTree Appoints BNY for Digital Assets Infrastructure

    Users of WisdomTree Prime will have access to BNY’s banking functionality, in addition to blockchain rails.

    10.29.2025 By Shanny Basar , Senior Writer
  2. Regulators Warn Against Race to Bottom in Clearing
    From The Markets

    European Fund Managers Want More Pre-Hedging Restrictions

    The concerns include transparency, conflicts of interest and market fairness.

    10.29.2025 By Shanny Basar , Senior Writer
  3. From The Markets

    MFA Supports FCA Consultation on Short Selling Reform

    Aggregated net short positions and simplified reporting will streamline the UK short selling regime.

    10.29.2025 By Shanny Basar , Senior Writer
  4. Daily Email Feature

    Coinbase AM, Apollo Partner to Tokenize Private Credit

    Stablecoins operate 24/7 and create opportunities not available in traditional private credit portfolios.

    10.28.2025 By Shanny Basar , Senior Writer
  5. From The Markets

    Amundi Assets Under Management Reach Record €2.3tr

    Asia, third-party distribution & ETFs each generated between €20bn and €30bn in inflows.

    10.28.2025 By Shanny Basar , Senior Writer

We're Enhancing Your Experience with Smart Technology

We've updated our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy to introduce AI tools that will personalize your content, improve our market analysis, and deliver more relevant insights.These changes take effect on Aug 25, 2025.
Your data remains protected—we're simply using smart technology to serve you better. [Review Full Terms] | [Review Privacy Policy] Please review our updated Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy carefully. By continuing to use our services after Aug 25, 2025, you agree to these

Close the CTA