IBM rolls out banking framework

IBM has unveiled a unified software platform to help banks become more efficient, improve flexibility, and adapt easily to new business challenges and regulatory requirements, reports Finextra.

As part of the IBM Smarter Planet strategy, the new platform enables banks to manage and monitor their technology systems while lowering financial and IT risk.

June Yee Felix, GM of IBM banking and financial markets, says: "There is a key need in the banking industry for a common platform that can span multiple areas within an organisation and help harmonise the siloed systems that have resulted through years of mergers, acquisitions and piecemeal infrastructure enhancements."

PPM 2000, a provider of reporting and investigation management software, has expanded its Perspective solution to include Focal Point, an integrated business intelligence (BI) and performance measurement tool, states Reuters.

According to PPM 2000, Perspective allows organisations access to a single enterprise platform for incident, investigation and case management. With Focal Point, they gain access to a BI tool that presents their data in a series of preconfigured charts and graphs.

Focal Point`s integration with QlikView and its visualisation and point-and-click technology mean all of the comprehensive formulas and queries are built into the application. As a result, corporate security executives and senior management can instantly view a dashboard of key metrics or drill down through a series of dynamic charts and graphs for trend identification, risk reporting and performance management.

China's banking regulator will step up financial risk control by increasing attention on banks' governance, risk management of loans, and information transparency, says Xinhuanet.

Wang Huaqing, disciplinary secretary of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, notes that the financial crisis originated from misuse of financial derivatives, but innovation is the momentum to push the development of the financial system.

The regulatory commission is concerned that a surge in bank loans in the country, boosted by the moderately loose monetary policy, might pose a risk to the nation's lenders, which might damage the stability of the financial system.